Doll's Eyes - Actaea pachypoda

Back in stock, finally!!
Actaea pachypoda, also known as Doll’s Eyes or White Baneberry, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan. Plant reaches 2 feet tall and flowers from May to June with a frothy white cluster of blossoms, followed by a red stalk of berries that slowly brighten to white with a black spot, giving the plant its common name.
 
At home in woodlands, it prefers part shade and organic-rich medium moisture soil but will grow in full shade and moist to medium clay, loam or sand. Flowers are visited by bees and other pollinators, and berries are eaten and distributed by birds. Some sources say that the foliage is deer resistant, but they clearly haven't studied the overpopulated UP deer herd. Protect from deer until established. The berries and other plant parts are bitter and toxic to people, so leave them for the birds, including grouse, sapsuckers, and thrushes.
 
This is a beautiful addition to a shade garden or forest understory. It occupies the perfect mid-layer, rising above Canada Mayflower, Bunchberry, Longstalk Sedge, Shining Bur Sedge, Yellow/Sweet White/Common Violets, Ramps and other shorter woodland species without shading them out. Pairs well with Blue Cohosh, Zig Zag Goldenrod, and American Spikenard.
 
Please note that it takes at least two years to grow this plant from seed. Each plant produces few seeds and success in seed collection varies widely from year to year. We grow it in batches in years we find enough seed, but it is out of stock most years. Grab it when we have it!