Planting Pickin’: Veronicastrum virginicum

​Of all the tall perennials for your yard, the Veronicastrum virginicum (VV) is a must-have.  Perhaps one of the most all-season rich examples of native plants, the VV offers hues from purple to white and shoots up to 7 feet of awesomeness. 
 
It is commonly known as Culver’s root and is a wildflower native from southern Maine to northern Florida and as far west as Minnesota.  It’s hardy with the ability to thrive in USDA zones of 3 to 8.  It begins coming out of dormancy in mid to late spring providing foliage interest to your space. It blooms by early to mid-summer and will often stay in bloom for months.  Then, it goes into the fall and winter with incredible seed heads colored almond and dark oak.  These characteristics are super important if you are going for a four-season sustainable space. 

​ I’ve started creating seasonal interest charts for my design work with clients.  It helps to visualize when different plants will add their unique characteristics to a site.  Below is the seasonal interest graphic of VV.

​The blooms of the VV look like upside down fuzzy ice cream cones and sometimes curve at the ends.  Typically, the flowers cluster together at the top of the plant with others popping out from the middle of the stem.  The leaves have a structure that offers a geometric quality heightening the aesthetic value of the native.  All the while, these magnificent herbaceous perennials become tall and full creating visual anchors for a planted bed or against the wall or corner of a house. 

​Veronicastrum virginicum loves sun and perform best in full sunshine.  They can take light shade that makes them great for front or back yards that face north, but they still need a minimum of 4 to 6 hrs of sunlight. They aren’t picky about soil quality either.  They can grow in moist to dry to average dirt.  The only maintenance absolutely required is a watchful eye making sure they don’t dry out in the hot summer weather.  They make for spectacular rain garden plants as well as accents for mini-meadows and eco-gardens. 
 
Culver’s root is a must-have for those of you looking to attract butterflies and other beneficial insects and birds to your yard.  If you couple them with Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’ and Panicum virgatum ‘Cape Breeze’, you will only see plenty of fluttering wings abound through your yard.  You will also attract teams of hungry pollinators looking to harvest their bounty.  You might just find you have stumbled across a secret recipe for helping restore bee populations with beauty and nature