![\"Aruncus](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Aruncus-dioicus.jpg?resize=680%2C978&ssl=1\")
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I finally managed<\/strong> to take out a very large hosta plant in my front yard. I really hate to remove healthy noninvasive plants, however non-native they may be (especially when they\u2019re pretty), but we all know that \u201cpretty is as pretty does,\u201d right? Originating in northeast Asia, hostas really have no function here other than looking nice with those ultra-inflated leaves. I don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever seen a native pollinator on its blossoms, let alone a nonnative honeybee. Plus, it was overpowering a fern that belongs<\/em> in this neck of the woods.<\/p>\n In its place now is a goat’s beard plant (Aruncus dioicus<\/em>) that had volunteered in the back yard, courtesy its frisky goat’s beard parents. Also known as \u201cbride\u2019s feathers,\u201d it is not only eye-catching while in bloom, but has local ecological function that hostas can only dream about. It also fits well into the shade-loving native spread near the north side of my house, sharing space with a surprisingly robust western maidenhair fern (Adiantum aleuticum<\/em><\/a>), evergreen huckleberry shrubs (Vaccinium ovatum<\/em>), Cascade Oregon grape<\/a> (Mahonia nervosa<\/em>), sword ferns (Polystichum munitum<\/em>), and native ground cover that includes wild ginger <\/a>(Asarum caudatum<\/em>) and inside-out flower (Vancouveria hexandra<\/em>), all of which can be found growing with goat’s beard in nature.<\/p>\n Wildlife value Try it at home <\/p>\n![\"Aruncus](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/realgardensgrownatives.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Aruncus-dioicus-foliage.jpg?resize=450%2C614&ssl=1\")
With compound, pointy, toothed leaves that have a lovely texture, this plant is particularly fetching in springtime when its leaves are new. The main show begins in early to mid-summer, when tall, feathery plumes composed of tiny, creamy-white flowers rise above the foliage. Male plants are more spectacular in flower than female, but regardless of gender, it offers a stunning presence in shaded to partly-shaded borders, under tall trees, or as a deciduous screen or short hedge.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Goat’s beard attracts quite a few insect species, including native bees, syrphid flies<\/a>, teeny tiny beetles, and \u2014 if you\u2019re lucky \u2014 mourning cloak butterflies (your odds will increase if you already grow their host plants, which include native willow, birch, hawthorn, and wild rose). Small birds may eat the seeds, so leave the spent flowers to overwinter.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Found in most of western Washington, Oregon, and northern California, goat’s beard naturally occurs along streams, in wet ravines, and in moist meadows and forests, but also sometimes in disturbed areas such as roadsides. As such, it likes moist, rich soil (so add compost and allow nature’s mulch\u2014fallen leaves<\/a>\u2014to remain on soil), but can handle some drought when fully established. Although it does best with at least a half day of shade, it can be grown in nearly full sun in cool, northerly locations. When goat’s beard is happy, it will stabilize soil and eventually form a large clump, 3 to 5 feet tall and as wide, so space plants 3 to 5 feet apart. Both male and female plants need to be planted nearby if seedlings are desired. Grow them with associates (those that naturally grow together and depend on each other), including Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, vine maple, deer fern<\/a>, maidenhair fern<\/a>, western bleeding heart<\/a>, inside-out flower, wild ginger<\/a>, and western trillium<\/a>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n