Create Your Garden

Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Brunette’ (Baneberry)

Baneberry 'Brunette', Bugbane 'Brunette', Cimicifuga Ramosa 'Brunette', Cimicifuga simplex 'Brunette', Cohosh 'Brunette', Actaea simplex 'Brunette', Brunette Snakeroot

AGM Award
Actaea Simplex (Atropurpurea Group) 'Brunette', Baneberry 'Brunette', Bugbane 'Brunette', Cimicifuga Ramosa 'Brunette', Cimicifuga simplex 'Brunette', Cohosh 'Brunette', Actaea simplex 'Brunette', Brunette Snakeroot

Striking all summer long, award-winning Actaea simplex ‘Brunette’ (Baneberry) is a beautiful perennial with purple-black, finely divided foliage, enhanced by gracefully arching wands of fragrant white flowers in late summer and fall. Purple-pink in the bud, opening to white, the heavily scented flowers are packed in fluffy spikes along black waving stems. ‘Brunette’ provides interest for months. Plant it with a group of white primula candelabras, and it will take your breath away. A knockout variety and a fantastic shade perennial.

  • Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
  • Typically grows up to 3-4 ft. tall (90-120 cm) and 2-3 ft. wide (60-90 cm). Plants will take about 3 years to develop into a mature clump.
  • Thrives in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils from partial to full shade. Moist, moderately fertile soil enriched with organic matter is preferred. Don’t let the soil dry out, or the foliage will suffer. Provide a sheltered location from strong winds. The flower spires tend to bend toward bright light when grown in substantial shade.
  • Trouble-free and easy to care for, Baneberry is a welcomed addition to beds, borders, woodlands, cottage gardens, and naturalized areas.
  • Attracts birds and butterflies and deer ignore it!
  • Cut back after flowering or fruiting. Propagate by seed sown in pots in a cold frame in fall or by division in early spring

Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Ranunculaceae
Genus Actaea
Common names Snakeroot, Cohosh, Bugbane, Baneberry
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Season of Interest Summer (Late), Fall
Height 3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 36" (90cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Moisture Retentive
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy
Tolerance Full Shade, Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Bees, Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Guides with
Actaea (Baneberry)
Not sure which Actaea (Baneberry) to pick?
Compare Now

Alternative Plants to Consider

Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry)
Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ (Baneberry)
Actaea pachypoda (White Baneberry)
Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh)
Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Mountain Wave’ (Baneberry)
Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’ (Baneberry)

Recommended Companion Plants

Aster novae-angliae (New England Aster)
Hakonechloa macra (Hakone Grass)
Hosta (Plantain Lily)

Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens

50 Wildflowers for Full Shade: Top Picks for Low-Light Gardens
42 Best Perennial Flowers and Plants to Brighten Your Garden Every Season
30 Great Perennials for Shade
Actaea simplex (Bugbane)
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Buy Plants

Requirements

Hardiness 4 - 8
Heat Zones 1 - 9
Climate Zones 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 17
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Ranunculaceae
Genus Actaea
Common names Snakeroot, Cohosh, Bugbane, Baneberry
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Season of Interest Summer (Late), Fall
Height 3' - 4' (90cm - 120cm)
Spread 2' - 3' (60cm - 90cm)
Spacing 36" (90cm)
Maintenance Low
Water Needs Average
Soil Type Clay, Loam
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Moisture Retentive
Characteristics Cut Flowers, Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy
Tolerance Full Shade, Deer, Rabbit
Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Bees, Birds
Garden Uses Beds And Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage
How Many Plants
Do I Need?
Guides with
Actaea (Baneberry)
Not sure which Actaea (Baneberry) to pick?
Compare Now

Gardening Ideas

Plant Calculator

How many Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Brunette’ (Baneberry) do I need for my garden?

Input your garden space dimensions

Your Shopping List

Plant Quantity
Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Brunette’ (Baneberry) N/A Buy Plants

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone