Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'

Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' with dwarf golden bamboo, Pleioblastus viridistriatus

The fluffy white flowers of this Eupatorium look way too much like the weedy "mistflower" Ageratina riparia for my liking. However it is a good perennial for difficult shady sites and is notable for the purple brown foliage which makes a nice contrast here to its companion the dwarf golden bamboo. I might let them fight it out to see which takes hold the most, as this bamboo is known to be a runner though is easy to control. This Eupatorium sometimes goes by the common name of 'white snakeroot' so I assume it has a tendency to spread far and wide though I have noted that it is one of those plants which goes completely to ground over winter and is very slow to reappear. I almost thought it was not going to come back but here it is now in a coolish autumn with a robust flush of flowers.