Sanguisorba Little Angel

The Sanguisorba 'Little Angel' is a recent variety of burnet, released in 2016, absolutely delightful, with variegated cream foliage topped with a multitude of short upright spike-shaped raspberry-red brushes, swaying in the slightest breeze. This robust perennial blooms from July to September, above an elegant cut and serrated foliage, dark green with cream margins. This generous summer flowering fades to a white-silver and then beige colour that blends beautifully with wildflowers and grass root hairs. The beautiful stump develops year after year, and proves to be perfectly hardy, even in heavy, waterlogged soils in winter. The Common Burnet grows in ordinary soil even if it appreciates fresh to moist areas like water edges. It will bring a natural and romantic touch to sunny flowerbeds.

The cultivar 'Little Angel' was recently introduced in Europe by Dutch horticulturists Luc Klinkhamer and M. Chang from the Osco Gardens, who spotted it in 2009 in a Japanese nursery in Aomori Prefecture. It originates from Sanguisorba officinalis var. microcephala, but now bears the name Sanguisorba 'Little Angel'. The Sanguisorba officinalis is a medicinal botanical species, which can be found widespread across areas of the temperate northern hemisphere. This plant belongs to the large Rosaceae family. It is a herbaceous and rhizomatous perennial plant, non-invasive, developing from a vigorous stump. The foliage emerges in spring and disappears in winter. The faded inflorescences remain decorative for a long time. This flowering, smaller in the microcephala form, clearly overtops a very finely cut fresh green foliage. The basal leaves, 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) long, are divided into 7 to 25 leaflets, oblong, elliptical, and regularly dentate. The stem leaves, smaller and erect, are often tinged with red.

In good fresh and fertile soil, the 'Little Angel' burnet forms a clump 40 cm (16in) tall and 25 cm (10in) wide, with rapid growth. It spreads slowly to form a beautiful variegated foliage carpet up to 40 cm in diameter. From July to September, more or less early depending on the climate, the floral stems emerge from the foliage, carrying compact ovoid heads, 1.5 cm (1in) long. They are adorned with tiny raspberry-red flowers packed tightly together. The inflorescences fade almost to white before browning. This flowering clearly overtops a very finely cut foliage with a dark green bordered with white colouration that is stable.

The 'Little Angel' burnet, with its compact habit, is placed at the front of flowerbeds or as an edging. The plant forms 10 cm (4in) high rosettes that nicely cover the ground or gracefully cascade if planted in a hanging basket. It is a variety very easy to grow in ordinary soil that is rather fresh, even limestone and clay. This plant thrives in classic flowerbeds as well as at the water's edge. It has the advantage of being highly frost-resistant, which allows it to be adopted in almost all regions. For a beautiful wild and refined effect, it can be planted en masse, combined with Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus 'Cosmopolitan' or Pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose'. It will accompany, with lightness, other very beautiful foliage plants, such as Anaphalis triplinervis, Alchemilla mollis, or the tall Angelica gigas. Its foliage with a delightful cucumber aroma can also enhance composed salads.