American Goatsbeard is a wonderful perennial for partial shaded or light full shade, draining wet to moist soil sites. It makes a good background plant in a perennial garden or a specimen. The ones I have worked with have stayed as big clumps, but it can spread some by rhizomes to form a small patch. It is sort of like a large Astilbe. It has white fuzzy flower panicle clusters to 12 inches long in late May or June, where male and female flowers are on separate plants, and the male flower clusters are a little showier. Nurseries usually don't separate the genders, though I have not yet seen any plants with the seeds. It has handsome pinnately compound foliage with a great fine texture. It does not need to be divided and reset, and if done, it is sort of hard to do it. I have seen some deer damage from the tops being eaten off, so I spray it with Liquid Fence at a customer's yard where the deer forage. Some are sold by most conventional nurseries that sell perennials or by most Native plant nurseries. I see it occasionally planted in gardens and professional landscapes, but, unfortunately, it is not a common or well-known perennial by most. Its native range is from Iowa into Pennsylvania down to northern Georgia to Oklahoma.

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Native in the Pacific Northwest, found in damp forest edges, most commonly seen along road shoulders in the mountain passes. The root may be used as a poultice for sores, or as an infusion for colds and sore throats. Aruncus is from the Greek aryngos (goat's beard). I have had difficulty transplanting this, but I keep trying. It is a lovely statement plant, especially in a large swath.

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Robust shrubby plant with ferny foliage and large plumes of small white flowers for about two weeks in late spring or early summer.
For best results (if planting more than one of these plants), space each one at least 4 feet apart from each other.
Landscape uses:
Plant singly as a specimen, at the back of a large perennial border or in a lightly shaded woodland garden. Goatsbeard makes an impressive display when several plants are grouped together.

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