Sanguisorba tenuifolia Cangshan Cranberry

The Sanguisorba tenuifolia 'Cangshan Cranberry' is a variety of burnet discovered in the Chinese province of Yunnan in 1996. It stands out with its tall reddish stems exceeding the size of a man, its spikes of burgundy flowers, and its finely carved foliage bordered in red. This vigorous perennial is reminiscent of some ornamental grasses with which it harmonizes perfectly. It blooms in late summer, adding a touch of wild poetry to sunny flower beds, while animating them with a vertical and flexible movement.

The Sanguisorba tenuifolia is a plant native to Japan, China, and Mongolia, and belongs to the Rosaceae family, just like other roses. The cultivar 'Cangshan Cranberry' is a herbaceous and rhizomatous perennial plant, non-invasive, which develops from a vigorous stump. It forms a clump of 1.80 m (6ft) to 2 m (7ft) in height when flowering, 50-60 cm (20-24in) in width, with rapid growth. It spreads slowly to form beautiful small hedges. Between August-September, tall red-tinted floral spikes emerge from the foliage, carrying at their tip small spikes of 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3in) in length, in the shape of brushes, adorned with cylindrical flowers of a somewhat dull red that take on a frayed appearance when fully bloomed. The faded inflorescences remain decorative for a long time. This flowering gracefully falls above a finely cut foliage, with a bluish-green colour tinged with red at the edges, on which rain forms beads. The leaves are divided into 11 to 19 leaflets, oblong, with regularly dentate margins. The vegetation of this burnet dries up in winter and restarts in spring.

The Sanguisorba tenuifolia Cangshan Cranberry is a very beautiful plant, very airy, and is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful burnets. It thrives at the water's edge, but in well-drained soil. It has the advantage of withstanding wind well, which allows it to be installed at the front of shrub borders or large perennials exposed to drafts. For a wild and refined effect, it can be associated with Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus 'Cosmopolitan' or Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'. It will accompany, with lightness, the equally poetic flowering of Dierama pulcherrima, Japanese anemones, Aster, Polygonum orientale, Campanula lactiflora, Veronicastrum.