Actaea rubra

Actaea rubra is one of my favorite shade plants. Perfect for mid-to-late summer berries if grown in shade and on the moist side (not for the dry shade garden). The berries are quite poisonous (hence the popular name of Baneberry) and small children should be watched carefully around this plant. Note there is a white berried form and both are equally poisonous.

Hardy into USDA 3 and propagated by division or seed (fresh seed works better than older seed). I’m going to be hunting down this North American native (and it’s white berried cousin) this spring for the shade garden. I haven’t had it since the nursery days and now that I’m working on building some serious shade gardens, this plant is a must-grow for me.