Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'Lilac Squirrel'

Sizes available: True gallon, currently a very charismatic large clump of grey-green foliage that will don a clown hat later in the season. 

Basics: zones 4-8, sun to high, light dappled shade, 18-24" x 15-18", large, pinky-purple, "squirrel tail" shape flowers on nodding stems in mid-summer, not too picky as to soil type but prefers consistent moisture in well-drained spots

Common names: This is a cultivar of Korean Mountain Burnet

Family: Rosaceae

Origin/Distribution: Japan, Korea

Habitat: sunny, moist but well-drained

More: I have seen pollinators on this plant, but its ridiculous glory while in flower is really for the joy of the gardener. It is not a particularly good nectar producer. The leaves are an attractive grey-green with beautifully scalloped edges. Out of flower it is gracious and a bit serious. The plant has a slightly lax habit that kicks into full blown languorousness once it blooms. Then I liken it to a stately dowager on a binge. Here are some descriptors for its flower: dangling, fuzzy, shaggy, pink wand, pendulous, whimsical, cartoon-y, playful, the silliest thing you have ever seen. It's all in the cultivar name.

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credit: close up of bloom, Royal Horticultural Society; straight species in situ, Wikipedia; stellar foliage, Honey Petal Plants