Adaptable goatsbeard at home in sun or shade.(Home & Garden)(Midwest gardening)

Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), July, 2007

Byline: Jan Riggenbach Goatsbeard is a summer standout in a shady garden. At 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 or 4 feet wide, it looks more like a shrub than a perennial. In June and July, it's topped with huge feathery plumes of creamy-white flowers that resemble giant astilbes. Even after the blooms fade, the ferny foliage makes a fine backdrop for smaller shade-loving flowers.

A hardy native, goatsbeard grows better here in the Midwest than in the South, where it balks at the heat. The ideal spot to plant goatsbeard is in rich, moist soil in partial shade. But goatsbeard is a very adaptable plant which will tolerate dry soil once established. You can even grow it in full sun, as long as you give it extra moisture. Goatsbeard thrives in deep shade, too,...