CRCCD – Ironweed

SKU: CRCCD-IW Category:

Description

Vernonia noveboracensis

CT DR RG P

Soil:  Rich, Slightly Acidic
Moisture:  Average to Wet
Light:  Full Sun
Plant Height:  4 to 6 feet
Plant Width:  2 to 4 feet
Pests:  None
Landscape Value:  Great as a background plant in borders, in rain gardens and meadows, and in low areas along streams and ponds.  Naturalizes easily.  Useful for erosion control.  Great grown with native grasses and golden fall flowers.

Showy and easy-to-grow, with an excellent upright form and showy flowers!  A tall, clump-forming perennial with stiff, leafy stems topped by loosely-branched, terminal clusters of deep reddish-purple flowers that bloom late summer into fall.  Self-seeds.  Remove flower heads before seeds develop to prolong flowering and avoid any unwanted seeding.  Can be pruned to a shorter height in late spring.  Attracts many pollinators, including butterflies, moths and large numbers of native bees.  Fluffy seed heads attract birds.  Ages to a rusty iron color in later fall and has rigid, tough stems, hence the common name. Tolerates deer, black walnut, short periods of dryness, and a wide range of soils, including wet soil and clay soil.  Makes a great cut flower.

5-pint pot

Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photos by Stefan Bloodworth, Stephanie Brundage)