By Ann Lapides
Photo: Vernonia missurica – Missouri Ironweed
Bring countless Monarch butterflies and other flying delights to your late-season garden with Missouri Ironweed, Vernonia missurica. An exceptional Missouri and Illinois native perennial, this pollinator powerhouse brings needed food to many species. In late summer, its plump buds burst open with bright purple florets. Its soft, velvety leaves add another enchanting feature. Many plant enthusiasts have commented that Missouri Ironweed is the prettiest and most garden-worthy of all native Ironweed.
Use Missouri Ironweed in wildflower and naturalized areas. Scores of butterflies and other important pollinators swarm it in rain, native, and prairie gardens. Songbirds adore its tasty seeds. It grows 3-5′ tall, making it a good background for other perennials. It adds a striking presence mixed with perennial sunflowers and tall flowering grasses. Vernonia is named Ironweed for its tough stems, rust-tinged fading flowers, and seeds. You can spot Vernonia in its native habitats–meadows, along creeks and streams, thickets, bright woods, prairies, and glades. Good for areas with moist soils. Plants will grow tallest in wet areas. Deer- and rabbit-resistant.
Growing instructions: plant in average soil in full sun. Plants prefer moist conditions yet will grow well in most soils. To keep plants shorter, pinch off growing tips in spring.
Find Missouri ironweed at Sugar Creek Gardens plant nursery located in Kirkwood, Missouri. See more at www.sugarcreekgardens.com.
Sugar Creek Gardens
1011 N Woodlawn
Kirkwood MO 63122
314-965-3070
sugarcreekgardens.com