Thalictrum
Hewitt's Double
“The dancer of the summer border. Airy, ethereal, and guaranteed to make someone stop and ask 'what is that?'”
— ROSIE
Rosie's Take
Thalictrum is one of those plants that makes people stop and ask 'what is that?' — which is always a good sign. 'Hewitt's Double' is the one I grow, and in late summer it produces these tall, airy stems topped with the most delicate clouds of tiny, fluffy, lavender-purple pompoms. They look like they belong in a fairy tale.
The texture is what sets it apart from everything else in the border. While other summer flowers are bold and blowsy, thalictrum is all about lightness — those tiny pom-pom flowers seem to hover above the foliage like a purple mist. The stems are dark and wiry, almost black, which makes the pale flowers look even more ethereal against them.
It's tall — easily chest height — and it moves beautifully in the breeze. There's a gracefulness to it that you can't plan for or force. You just plant it, stand back, and watch it do something lovelier than you imagined.
I sometimes cut a few stems for a vase and they're exquisite — those airy sprays mixed with something more substantial like roses or peonies. But honestly, I think it's best left in the garden where you can watch it sway. Some flowers are performers. Thalictrum is a dancer.
✿ From the folklore cabinet
Thalictrum has been used in folk medicine across the world — Native Americans used it for headaches, and in parts of China it's been an herbal remedy for centuries. The common name 'meadow rue' comes from its resemblance to true rue, though they're unrelated. 'Hewitt's Double' was discovered as a chance seedling by a gardener called Hewitt, who clearly had very good eyes.
