Even by tissue culture, propagation is a slow process; hence the higher prices. BUT you should be able to pick up gallons anywhere from $12-$20 depending on variety and nursery. Of course, dark-leaved varieties are slower growing. General info: The plants formerly known as Cimicifuga are typically later bloomers, get huge, and have seed pods as opposed to berries. They like some afternoon shade, but should be in a bright location with some direct morning or evening sun. They are typically woodland edge/savana plants. They don't want to be dry, but I don't find them to be water hogs once they're established either. Treat them like most plants and the'll be fine. They can tolerate full sun with extra water. I highly recommend A. 'Black Negligee' as it has been the fastest growing dark-leaved variety I've tried. Actaea pachypoda, rubra, and a few others are the baneberries. I often see 'Misty Blue' being listed without its species name; it is a form of A. pachypoda. A. pachypoda gets white berries in summer. A rubra gets red berries, though there are white-berried populations. A. nigra is european and gets black berries. They are spring blooming woodland plants and tolerate shade very well. They all have white flowers followed by berries, either red, white, or black. All berries are poisonous. I find them growing here in maple/beech forests, which tend to be very dark. They get 2-3' tall depending on species and variety. A. pachypoda tends to be taller and more upright @ 2'-3', A. rubra is more bushy and shorter and closer to 18"-24". Best bet for success is rich soil with lots of organic matter and even moisture. Some morning sun is good for vigor, especially with A. rubra, but afternoon sun should be avoided. Currently the only one I'm aware of being vegetatively produced with any regularity is 'Misty Blue'. The rest are either seed grown (and fairly expensive- it takes up to 2 year to germinate the seed and another 5-7 years to be a salable plant) or wild collected. Wild collected material should be avoided unless you can certify it came from a construction site rescue. Plant to pay $10 or more for 4.5" quart pots for A. rubra, somewhat less for A. pachypoda as it's a bit faster growing. Both groups are easy to grow, but require some patience. The Plant Geek www.confessionsofaplantgeek.com www.botanophilia.com www.facebook.com/botanophilia

Mine (a different dark-leaved variety, Brunette) grows happily in a spot with a bit of morning sun and a bit of late afternoon sun, and relatively bright shade between. It's not a formal plant, but is quite nice - I wouldn't say only for a natural setting. The flowers are long bottle brushes, and come at a time when not a lot else is blooming in late summer. I find the foliage quite striking, rather like a larger, dark astilbe. The foliage is a tiny bit fuzzy and has a slightly unpleasant odor to my nose when brushed against, so I wouldn't put it right next to a door or pathway where people would come in contact with it, but a couple of feet away would be fine. I put mine in a bed where I knew some utility work would be happening down the road and I'd need to move it at some point. I thought perenials would be easier to move than shrubs after a couple of years . . . Well, the moving time arrived last fall, and the Cimicifuga had a large, dense, HEAVY rootball after just three years, so I would advise putting it where you won't have to move it. How about placing it just to the right or left of your cellar window?

Well...they are toast...I have been entirely too busy and completely forgot they were out there when the "big freeze" came through...they are gone...none, nada, zilch... If I had remembered them, their little butts would have been indoors........... I hope that some of the other seeds have not surfaced yet...maybe those were early, but I am doubtful at this point. Boo-hoo! :o(

Easy to transplant (?). . . I guess it's relative. The plants didn't have any issues when I dug them up in the fall, put them in large containers, and then replanted in the spring, though I don't remember how late in the spring. (This was made necessary by construction.) However, the actual digging and moving was NOT easy! The below-ground part of the plants was huge and heavy with roots that seemed to stretch for several feet. I ended up with hunks that probably weighed 40 or 50 pounds. Looking at the above ground plant I was shocked, and relatively, the size of the entire cimicifuga was quite large compared to the size of plants that looked about the same size above ground. I did dig up a few seedlings this weekend, so it's too soon to tell how they will adjust, but I imagine they will be fine based on how easily the last batch adjusted.