Sanguisorba officinalis
Great Burnet
Common names: Greater Burnet, Garden Burnet
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- High
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Carl Axel Magnus Lindman · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Great Burnet, botanically Sanguisorba officinalis, is a native perennial of damp meadows, recognizable by its dark red to reddish-brown, egg-shaped flower heads. From June to September the heads sit on long, branched stems that grow 60 to 120 cm tall and float loosely above the blue-green, pinnate leaves. In the garden it has an airy look and suits perennial beds, pond and stream edges, damp meadows, and naturalistic plantings. Wild bees and hoverflies visit it. It plays a special role in nature conservation: the caterpillars of the rare Scabious Large Blue butterfly first develop within its flower heads. Where meadows are drained, fertilized, or mown too early, it has become rare. Plants or regional wild seed can be obtained from a nursery, and nothing should be dug up or picked at natural sites.
Care instructions
Plant Great Burnet in spring or autumn in a sunny to partly shaded spot with fresh to moist, humus-rich soil, leaving 50 cm of spacing. The soil must not dry out in summer, so water thoroughly during dry spells and mulch with leaves or grass clippings. Do not cut the perennials back in summer, because the caterpillars of the Large Blue butterflies develop in the flower heads from July to late August. In a meadow, mow until mid-June or not until early September. In a bed, cut the stems close to the ground in late autumn or early spring. Every few years, divide the clump if it weakens in the centre. Typical mistakes are a site that is too dry and cutting back in midsummer.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May, Sep–Oct
FloweringJun–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 15 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 42 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, loamy, nutrient-rich
Great burnet grows in alternately moist to wet meadows, by streams and in floodplains, and likes deep, humus-rich loam that does not dry out in summer. Neutral to slightly acidic is ideal. It tolerates temporary wet in spring well, but not lasting dryness on sand or gravel. In a damp hollow, at the pond edge or by a stream, it feels at home; in an ordinary bed, a mulch layer of leaves or grass clippings helps against drying out.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Apr
In spring, when the plant starts into growth, give a layer of ripe compost around the clump. Great burnet needs nothing more in the bed. Too much nitrogen makes the stems long and soft, so they snap more easily. On damp meadows it grows entirely without feeding.
Overwintering
Great burnet is completely hardy and needs no protection. In autumn the foliage dies back, and in spring it shoots afresh from the rootstock. You can leave the stems standing over winter and cut them back close to the ground only in early spring.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
You can sow or divide great burnet. The seeds germinate irregularly, often only after a winter, and germination can take weeks to months. It is best to sow in September or October in pots that you leave outdoors, or directly in the bed. In spring, starting them from April works if you first keep the seeds moist in the fridge for about 4 weeks. Press the seeds down only lightly and cover them with no more than a thin layer. Divide older clumps in spring or autumn. Buy seed and plants from a nursery; do not collect anything at natural sites.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Great Burnet yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
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