Boehmeria sieboldiana

The late J.C. Raulston liked to give Dan Hinkley and me grief for our fascination with boehmerias. Granted, there are some weeds in the same family, but that's like not associating with a friend because a family member is behind bars. The Japanese B. sieboldiana is not for the impatiens crowd, but for those who appreciate an interesting texture in the garden, this is a gem. The 6' tall stems form a tight clump to 2' at the base and 7' from tip to tip. The intricately-veined, shiny, green leaves, and axillary tan flowers (using the term loosely) in mid-summer make this a great bold feature in any garden...one of my personal favorites.