Plants
Meadowsweet
Filipendula · Rosaceae
Meadowsweet is the fragrant perennial of the wet meadow: creamy-white or pink veils of bloom that smell of honey and almonds in high summer and turn whole stream banks into foam. In the garden, Filipendula is the first choice for wet corners and pond edges where other showpiece perennials give up. There is real cultural history in it too — as an ancient medicinal plant its old genus name Spiraea gave aspirin its name.
- Light
- Sun to partial shade; full sun is fine on moist soil.
- Watering
- High — the soil should stay permanently moist to wet.
- Care level
- Easy
- Botanical
- Filipendula
The key garden species: the native common meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) with creamy scented clouds, the pink queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra ‚Venusta‘) from North America, reaching over two metres, and the purple-pink Japanese meadowsweet (Filipendula purpurea). Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris) is the odd one out: it grows on dry, lean meadows.
The scent is the trademark — sweet, honey-like, with an almond note of salicylaldehyde. The flowers were once strewn on banquet floors as a strewing herb and used to flavour mead; the German name probably derives from old words for mowing or mead.
The plant is a piece of medical history: in the 19th century salicylic acid was isolated from its flower buds, and its synthetic derivative became famous as acetylsalicylic acid. The „spir“ in aspirin refers to Spiraea ulmaria, the botanical name of meadowsweet at the time.
In the garden meadowsweet belongs with wet feet: pond edges, hollows, heavy soils — the moister, the lusher. On dry sites it sulks and gets mildew, the most common mistake. Sun or partial shade both work as long as the water supply is right.
In design the airy bloom pairs beautifully with Ligularia, ornamental grasses and purple loosestrife in naturalistic plantings. For the vase we like to cut the flower veils just before full bloom; they keep scenting the room gently and dry well too.
Is Meadowsweet toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Mildly irritating
- Dogs
- Mildly irritating
Meadowsweet is an old medicinal and tea plant and harmless to people. However, it contains salicylates — the aspirin relatives — which cats metabolise poorly; dogs should not graze on it regularly either. Caution also applies to anyone with salicylate intolerance.
Typical symptoms: In pets, larger amounts may cause vomiting, lethargy and stomach irritation.
In an emergency:call the German poison control centre in Bonn on +49 228 19240 (24/7) — for pets, contact an emergency vet directly. This information does not replace medical or veterinary advice.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Choose moist to wet, nutrient-rich soil — pond edges and hollows are ideal.
- 02Plant in sun or partial shade; the sunnier the spot, the moister the soil must be.
- 03Never let it dry out: drought leads to mildew and browning foliage.
- 04Cut back to the base after the first bloom — a second flush often follows.
- 05Feed with compost in spring; further fertiliser is unnecessary.
- 06Divide every four to five years in autumn if the clumps thin out in the middle.
Frequently asked
- What does meadowsweet smell like?
- Sweet and honey-like with a fine almond note — salicylaldehyde is partly responsible. The scent is strongest on warm summer evenings and was once so popular that the flowers were strewn in banquet halls and used to flavour mead.
- What does meadowsweet have to do with aspirin?
- In the 19th century salicylic acid was extracted from its flower buds, the precursor of today's acetylsalicylic acid. The brand name aspirin derives from the plant's then botanical name, Spiraea ulmaria — the „spir“ is still in the word today.
- Is meadowsweet toxic to cats or dogs?
- Not poisonous in the classic sense, but it contains salicylates that cats in particular metabolise poorly — much like aspirin. Occasional sniffing is harmless, but regular grazing should be prevented. For people, meadowsweet is even traditionally used as a tea.
- What site does meadowsweet need in the garden?
- Moist to wet and nutrient-rich — pond edges, hollows and heavy soils are perfect. It only thrives in full sun with a reliable water supply; otherwise partial shade is better. On dry soil the perennial sulks and becomes prone to mildew.