Seneca Hill Perennials

Aconitum hemsleyanum

Native to central China, this is a vigorous climbing monkshood with large light blue to violet flowers in late summer.

Aconitum uncinatum

A scrambling monkshood native to rich woods in the southeastern United States, with deep blue-purple flowers set on terminal and axillary spikes. It makes a wonderful display when allowed to ramble through neighboring plants, over large boulders, or through tacky old iron wheels, where we like it particularly well.

Actaea americana (Cimicifuga americana)

Native primarily to the southern Appalachians, the American Bugbane has finely-cut leaves and elegant spires of creamy white flowers in fall. It resembles the better-known Black Cohosh, or Actaea racemosa (C. racemosa), but lacks the pungent catty smell of the latter. Photo copyright Aaron Floden, used with permission.

Actaea pachypoda

An eastern US native woodlander, Doll's Eyes has relatively finely-cut foliage and starry creamy-white flowers. In summer white fruits develop, each with a black "eye" at the end, on deep red pedicels. We offer seedlings of a particularly tall and heavily-fruiting individual.

Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa

A lovely variant of Doll’s Eyes, with starry white flowers in spring followed by glowing deep magenta-pink "fruits" (rather than the typical white), held on spikes above the coarsely cut deep green foliage. Until a massive ice storm destroyed the entire canopy of our woods, fueling an explosion of growth in the understory, we never knew that this grew in our woods.

Actaea rubifolia

This is one of several US native bugbanes, variously classified as Actaea or Cimicifuga. Native to the eastern states, Appalachian Bugbane has substantial maple-like leaves and spires of lightly fragrant creamy white flowers in late summer. Being relatively compact, it stands sturdily upright and makes a handsome clump in the shade garden. Image copyright Kristl Walek/Gardens North, used with permission.

Actaea rubra, Filkins' form

Seedling descendants of friend John Filkins’ selection of this beautiful eastern woodland native, Red Baneberry. The species has deep green, coarsely cut foliage, spikes of white flowers in spring, and glossy red fruit in mid to late summer. John selected the parent for its rapid growth, dependably heavy fruiting, and generally unusual size and vigor, and these traits seem to carry through consistently in the offspring.