PlantFiles: Queen of the Prairie, Meadowsweet
Filipendula rubra

overall I love the plant but after year two it needed serious divison and I can see that it has already spread about 2x size from last summer. I would love staking ideas also as I hate staking plants. Has anyone tried to cut it back when it is about 12" tall (like you do with mums, golden marquerite, asters etc) to control the height?

One way to manage the spread is to dig up the plant and then replant it in a container with the bottom cut out. I have had good luck doing that with monarda and tradascantia.

Will grow in drier soils than some people would guess - but seem to perform better when get some shade. Tend to rhizome in one direction instead of branching out for me. Easy to id by its height - easily two feet tall and get taller in moister soils. Flowers look like pink astilbes. I prefer to put some taller company plants with it so it can move in along them.

Sometimes I used branches that fall off the trees as a stake - it recycle them and the branches can spread out and hold the plant better than just bamboo rods alone.

This is my first year with it & it was beautiful when it bloomed!!
Looked up how to propagate, apparantly if you want to try by seeds, wait intil Sept. to collect them-they have to mature for a long time to be ready.

This plant can be started by dividing the orginal plant. Mine did not thrive until I moved it from partial shade to all sun. Other than having an especially wet season, I didn't give it any extra care. The bees love it and the blossoms are striking.

If you don't have ideal soil conditions, this plant can become some work but it's worth it.

I have this plant in a location that has weed barrier down and then it's mulched on top. Recently I covered the base with river stones.

First year I planted it, it remained small but when it came up this year, it more than tripled in size and was very robust.

In the cooler weather we had, the plant didn't need any special care. However, as it became hot and we entered drought, I've been watering it everyday, otherwise it droops.

I've been feeding it regularly with a bloom inducing fertilizer.

My Filipendula grows and grows and grows... I have it on the top of a berm roadside, and it really stops traffic when in bloom. It is in very rich soil and is kept evenly moist. The problems are: (1) that it spreads very fast each season, resulting in a crowding situation and (2) that in a rainstorm or under very windy situations (we live on the coastline), it can really flatten.

Despite the above, I can honesly say that it is a wonderful plant, which is magnificent when blooming. It is fun to watch it prior to bloom.

Does anybody have a good staking method I can use? It is difficult to get at due to the spreading and the fact that it is on top of the berm (not too high). And can anybody tell me the correct way to keep the plants under bounds. Thanks!

I love this plant! I have a bog garden area thanks to my neighbor's run off (sump pump, rain drain, excessive use of sprinkler) It is the only plant I can grow in this area in 5 years.
Sweet soil, I mulch every spring with Black Forest Mulch on my entire garden. There is also a good deal of sand in the soil in this area. Highly recommend this mulch as well!
This plant comes back stronger and fuller every year and can grow from cuttings with root stimulater and lots of watering in late Spring. Does well in full sun and some shade closer to fence area.

It grows well in partial shade in my zone 5 garden.

I just discovered a volunteer growing in the ditch across the road from my house. The pink plume is beautiful against the greens of the different grasses. I'm going to try to figure out a way to get some seeds for next year. It was a wonderful surprise to see it pop up over night. It's very tall and very healthy.

Filipendula rubra is a perennial in zones 3-8. These grow between 4' and 8' and are pink. 'Venusta' has plumes of rosy pink flowers on 6' stems. The compound leaves are a reddish green. They bloom from early to mid summer and require full sun or mostly sun and well-drained, moist soil that is slightly acidic. Meadowsweets have long-lasting, feathery plumes and are great when used at the backs of borders or in fields. They are also good in both fresh and dried arrangements.
These plants benefit from compost and organic mulch added in spring and a thin layer of mulch again in fall. The foliage should be cut to the ground in late summer or early fall when leaves begin to turn brown.