White baneberry or doll’s eye (Actaea pachypoda) is a strikingly beautiful native perennial. The cultivar ‘Misty Blue’ was first discovered at Mt. Cuba Center in Greenville, Delaware. The bluish-green foliage is multi-stemmed and finely cut from mid-spring thru the summer months. Grow it in a moist shade garden environment.

Lovely fringed white flowers appear in April. In the fall clusters of white “doll’s eye” berry fruits sit atop brightly red pedicels. Each white berry is marked with a distinct black dot. Fruits persist over 4 – 6 weeks.

Baneberry is a long-lived perennial which thrives in a moist, well-drained, compost rich soil. White baneberry grows 2 – 4 feet tall and is best grouped en masse so that its lovely blue-green summer foliage receives the attention it deserves. Actaea is reliably hardy throughout USDA zones 3 – 8.

Because of its new status, availability of ‘Misty Blue’ baneberry is limited primarily from internet and mail order catalog selling native plants.