Black cohosh simple Brunet

Black cohosh Brunet is a colorful plant whose appearance is consonant with its German name “silver candles”. The main advantages noted by gardeners – decorativeness, unpretentiousness, frost resistance, vitality and longevity – made it one of the favorite plants for garden decoration and landscape design.

Description of black cohosh Brunet

The herbaceous perennial black cohosh belongs to the Buttercup family, genus Voronets. The scientific name of the plant – cimicifuga is translated from Latin as “repelling bedbugs”, for which it was actively used several centuries ago. Since then, more than a dozen varieties of this cultivar have been bred, mainly for a different, decorative purpose.

The perennial black cohosh of the simple Brunet variety, as can be seen from the photo and description, is a shrub with several straight tall stems, covered at the top with a large number of small flowers, and an armful of openwork large leaves growing in the aerial part of the plant. The sight of the black cohosh brunette attracts the attention of anyone who looks at it:

• height can reach 1,7-1,8 m;
• stems dark purple with brown strokes, erect, bare, with inflorescences at the tops;
• leaves on long petioles located at the bottom of the stems, compound, pinnate, dark purple;
• dazzling white flowers with a purple receptacle, collected in inflorescences covering the stem in the upper part for 20-30 cm;
• a powerful root system consists of a woody rhizome and many fibrous roots.

In summer, the stems are decorated with small buds, which looks quite stylish. The perennial begins to bloom in late August. Black cohosh Brunet flowers are about 1 cm in size, they open gradually from bottom to top, this can be seen in the photo. This process takes approximately 1,5 months. Petals quickly fall off after opening, leaving a bunch of pistils with stamens, which has a very attractive appearance.

Black cohosh variety Brunet is widely used by gardeners and landscape designers for such purposes:

• registration of a hedge, zoning of sites;
• in a solo landing against a green lawn;
• in mixborders, shrub-flower arrangements.

According to the description of gardeners and from the photo, one can understand that Black Cohosh bushes Brunet look very impressive in combination with plants of contrasting colors or with leaves of a different shape. Stems with inflorescences, as well as leaves with long petioles, are widely used to create bouquets.

Black cohosh of the Brunet variety is known as well as a medicinal plant. A decoction of its roots was used by the North American Indians to treat various diseases. The black cohosh flower is used in medicine as an analgesic, antipyretic, sedative and tonic. Medicines with black cohosh variety Brunet are prescribed for the treatment of gynecological, urological diseases and complications associated with them.

Planting and caring for black cohosh Brunet

It is not difficult to plant a perennial black cohosh in your area. You can do this in one of several of the most common ways:

• seeds;
• division of the bush;
• cuttings.

The seed method involves a double stratification of seeds 6 months before planting in the ground:

1. In autumn, freshly harvested seeds should be laid out at room temperature (about +20⁰C) and keep for 3 months.
2. The next 90 days, the seeds must be at a temperature of +4⁰C, it can only be provided in the refrigerator.

After that, the seeds are planted in the ground or container. The first flowering of black cohosh bushes of the Brunet variety, planted with seeds, should be expected only after 3 years.

The division of the bush is considered the most successful and convenient way of reproduction. It can only be used using bushes at least 5 years old. The bush is dug up, young shoots with buds and roots are cut off with secateurs. Further, the mother bush is returned to its place, and the separated part is planted on the prepared site. You can try to separate the part from the side without digging out the whole bush.

For planting black cohosh Brunet with cuttings, green shoots of an adult plant are used in May. The cut cuttings are soaked in a solution that stimulates the development of the root system, and after a few days, if root processes are present, they are planted in the ground. Temporarily covered with a plastic or glass jar to create a greenhouse effect.

Another option is to buy Brunet black cohosh seedlings in a specialized store. Planting material should be well inspected before purchase so that there are no rotten and diseased roots and stems. Before planting, the roots of seedlings must be soaked, preferably in a growth-stimulating solution.

Recommended dates

Planting seedlings in the ground and dividing the bush of a simple Brunet is recommended to be carried out in the spring in April or May, with established warm weather, but after return frosts. Purchased seedlings can be planted in spring and autumn. However, experienced gardeners recommend early spring so that the black cohosh root system has time to take root before the onset of winter.

Site selection and preparation of soil

Unlike other varieties that thrive in the shade, Simple Brunet prefers sunny, windless places. Grows well in partial shade. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic, rich in organic fertilizers and moderately moist.

How to plant

The algorithm for planting seedlings, a divided bush or a seedling bought in a Brunet black cohosh store is approximately the same as for planting any shrubs:

1. Dig a hole with dimensions – 40x40x40 cm.
2. At the bottom, approximately at a height of 20 cm, a mixture of rotted manure with ash, mineral fertilizers and earth from the site is laid.
3. Set the bush in the center of the pit, straightening the roots.
4. They fall asleep with fertile soil to the edge, tamp and water.

When planting several bushes of black cohosh Brunet, the distance between them should be at least half a meter for proper care and beautiful design, as seen in the photo.

An important feature of the plant is that it does not like transplantation and may not take root in a new place. Therefore, in order not to risk the life of a flower, you should immediately choose the right place of residence for black cohosh for the next 20 years.

Cultivation of black cohosh Brunet

Proper care for the black cohosh of the simple Brunet variety is ordinary and contains a few simple rules:

1. It is necessary to ensure that the soil is slightly moist and does not dry out. To do this, the bushes are regularly watered – 1 time in 2-3 days in the summer and 1 time per week in the spring and autumn.
2. The soil around the bush is loosened after each watering to prevent the formation of an earthen crust that does not allow oxygen to pass through.
3. Mulch the ground with sawdust, dry grass or cover with decorative stone.
4. After planting in fertile soil, it is recommended to feed the bushes of the simple Brunet variety 1 time per season. It is better to apply complex fertilizers in early spring.
5. Sanitary pruning is necessary in order to keep the bush healthy. To do this, in the spring and autumn, an inspection is carried out and dried, rotten, diseased stems and leaves are removed.

Black cohosh variety simple Brunet is unpretentious in care. It easily tolerates frost and does not require much shelter for the winter. In autumn, after the bush has faded, it is enough to cut the stems at the root, and cover the rest with spruce branches or foliage.

Diseases and pests

Perennial black cohosh Brunet has natural immunity and resists scab and other infectious diseases well, and pests bypass it. However, you need to remember:

• if the plant began to look sick and insects were found on it, it just needs to be treated with insecticides according to the instructions;
• with symptoms of fungal diseases, treatment with special fungicides should be carried out;
• do not moisten the soil too much and mulch near the trunk itself to prevent root rot.

If the edges of the leaves suddenly begin to dry out, then the cause may be very hot weather and, as a result, the burning of the leaves by the sun.

Conclusion

Black cohosh Brunet not so long ago became known to gardeners, but many people want to decorate their plot with this perennial flower. It is not difficult to do this, you just need to follow the simple rules of agricultural technology to create favorable living conditions for perennials.