Deinanthe bifida

Deinanthe bifida is a bizarre hydrangea relative that hails from the mountain woodlands of Japan, where it forms a 2' tall x 2' wide clump of rough-textured, bi-lobed, light green leaves. The clumps are topped in June (NC) with white flowers resembling miniature hydrangea florets. The leaves can be cooked and eaten, but we prefer spinach. Deinanthe bifida is about as esoteric as it gets, so this plant is not going to get gobbled up by the Wal-Mart marigold and impatiens crowd. If this is your thing, be sure to jump on the esoteric bandwagon before they're all gone...they're really cute.