Sanguisorba Plum Drops®

Sanguisorba Plum Drops® is a great burnet that brings lightness and a touch of plum-purple colour to summer borders. Its slender, upright stems, adorned with small spike-like inflorescences, create a transparent silhouette that weaves between grasses and perennials. This very hardy, naturalistic meadow perennial plant thrives in moist soil, in sun or partial shade. It is perfect in grass gardens and large, informal borders.

Sanguisorba 'Plum Drops' belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is related to the great burnet, Sanguisorba officinalis, a plant of damp meadows and turf moors in Europe and Asia. 'Plum Drops' is a horticultural cultivar of hybrid origin. It was selected in the Midwestern United States by nurseryman Brent Horvath (Intrinsic Perennial Gardens) and released from 2023 onwards.
It is a deciduous perennial: the aerial growth disappears in winter and regrows each spring from a short, slightly rhizomatous root. The plant first forms a dense clump of matt datk green basal leaves, 20 to 30 cm long, pinnate (compound of numerous small leaflets) with finely toothed edges. This cushion of foliage remains low, around 30 to 40 cm in height. From this base, flexible but sturdy, slender flowering stems rise in summer, reaching between 80 cm and 1 m. Each carries several cylindrical spikes 2 to 4 cm long, initially greenish-purple, then a deep plum colour verging on burgundy. The individual flowers are tiny, with no visible petals, reduced to a few coloured sepals surrounding stamens; from a distance, they form the small velvety bottlebrushes typical of burnets. The flowering period spreads from July to September, sometimes into early autumn. This variety is non-invasive; it simply widens over the years.

In the garden, Sanguisorba Plum Drops is best placed towards the front of borders to appreciate its flowering. It pairs perfectly with grasses such as Panicum virgatum ‘Purple Tears’ or Miscanthus sinensis 'Red Chief', topped with purple plumes in summer. It can also be mixed with large daisies like Leucanthemum x superbum 'Brightside' and autumn asters such as Aster cordifolius 'Little Carlow'. It will thrive in moist ground, by the edge of a ditch or on the banks of a natural pond.