| Common Name | Great burnet, Burnet |
| Genus | Sanguisorba |
| Species | S. officinalis |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Life Cycle | Herbaceous perennial. Sanguisorba officinalis is a clump-forming, rhizomatous perennial that becomes more substantial with age. Can take 2 to 5 years to reach mature size, and established plants will live many years. |
| Format | Bare Roots |
| Care |
These plants will arrive just coming out of dormancy. You may see swelling buds or a bit of new growth, but in general they will be in a dormant state and may look a little dead. Don't worry! They will wake up. You may see a bit of mold on the roots but this is completely normal. Simply wash it off and plant immediately. As a precaution you can treat the roots with a fungicide or biofungicide, but this isn't necessary. Small broken branches are also of little concern. Just prune off any broken bits and the plant will recover quickly. The root system is the important part at this stage in the game. If you can't plant immediately on arrival store your bare roots in the cooler. The cold will delay their growth. Keep them from freezing. You can either pot them into 1 gallon pots or plant them directly into your prepared soil. Just make sure to plant them within a few days of arrival. They are waking up and are ready to grow, and they will decline quickly if they are not given soil, water and sunshine. This is a carefully orchestrated process to get plants quickly from their storage conditions to you so please do your part and be ready to plant them on arrival. There is no reason that these plants will experience any stress if you prepare for their arrival. |
| Netting / Staking | One layer of support is recommended, particularly in fertile soils, exposed sites, or where long straight stems are desired. Shorter varieties will be fine with no netting, but tall varieties such as 'Magical Red Velvet' should be supported for best results. |
| Temperature Range | Very cold hardy. Sanguisorba officinalis should be hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 8, possibly hardy in areas both colder and warmer, but this is speculative. |
| Spacing | Kolster recommends 6 to 8 plants per m² for its Sanguisorba officinalis cut-flower production, which works out to approximately 14 to 16 inches between plants when spaced uniformly. This is for high-intensity production. If planting into a perennial field for long-term production, give the plants up to 24 inches of space to allow for long-term growth and adequate airflow between plants. |
| Soil Preference | Prefers moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil that does not dry out during the growing season. It tolerates a wide range of soil types and pH, including clay, loam, sand, acidic, neutral, and alkaline soils. Consistent moisture is particularly important for good growth and flowering, but avoid stagnant or waterlogged conditions. |
| Light Requirements | Grow in full sun or partial shade. Full sun is preferred for the best flowering and strongest stems, particularly when growing for cut flowers. |
| Pinching | Not necessary - this species naturally produces many long, branched flowering stems. |
| When to Plant | Spring, when the ground is workable. The bare roots need to be planted immediately upon arrival. Best is outside into their final growing location, but if that isn't ready right away, a 1-gallon pot somewhere protected will suffice. |
| Harvesting | Harvest when the flower heads have developed their characteristic color and are open enough to show the individual florets, but before the heads have become fully mature. It is likely that one harvested stem will contain flowers at all stages of development. See photo at the top of this page for a great example of when to harvest. |
| Post Harvest Care | Remove any foliage that will sit below the water line and recut stems before placing them into clean water to hydrate. Flower food could be beneficial for longer-term storage but is not absolutely necessary. Give stems a thorough hydration period before arranging. Expect a vase life of 7 to 10 days. Sanguisorba is moderately sensitive to ethylene gas, so keep it away from ripening fruit and other ethylene-producing materials. Handle the fine stems and flower heads carefully to avoid crushing or bending. |
| Diseases / Insects | Sanguisorba is generally considered relatively free of serious pest and disease problems. Soil that remains waterlogged or that dries out too extremely are the biggest threats to this plant. |
| Bailey's Notes | We are so excited to be able to offer this highly requested species. It's a great plant for the problematic areas of the perennial field, where the soil may stay a little too damp for other more finicky species. This plant should do well where you have success with astilbe or trollius. |
| Resources | Kolster BV |