I have long admired the striking beauty of Angelica gigas from the original Barry Yinger introductions at the US National Arboretum. When I was finally able to obtain plants, they withered away in our summer heat. Finally over a decade later, I was able to travel to Korea’s Mt. Sorak and re-collect seed. Imagine my surprise when these plants thrived in our hot, muggy summers. We are glad to be able to share our re-collection of this great garden plant. The basal green leaves form a 2′ wide clump that resembles a parsnip on steroids. After the rosette has gone through a winter, it rewards you with a 6′ tall, branched, dark purple stalk with each branch ending in 2-3″ wide, wine-purple, dome-like flower heads. This is a striking plant…begging for a slightly moist place in the border.
