Culver’s Root Provides Tall Flowers Through Summer

We love culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum) for its upright wands of white or purple flowers that can begin in early to midsummer with the potential to continue until autumn. Veronicastrum is a USA-native perennial good at attracting butterflies and bees.

Common name: Culver's root

Botanical name: Veronicastrum virginicum

Flowers: Small tube-shaped flowers line long, slim flower stems and open from the bottom of the stem upward. Smaller flower stems can develop at the base of a central spike, giving a candelabra structure. Bloom can run from late spring to autumn, though midsummer to autumn is more typical. 'Apollo', 'Fascination' and 'Lavendelturm' are early flowering cultivars. Flowers are white or pinkish purple, depending on variety.

Foliage: Long, narrow leaves are arranged in whorls around the stems.

Habit: Culver's root is an herbaceous perennial that grows four to seven feet tall and about half as wide, with an upright stance. It dies back to the ground in fall.

Season: Mid- through late summer, for its flowers. In some climates it can begin flowering as early as late spring.

Origin: Native to damp prairies, open woods and stream banks of the eastern half of North America.

How to grow Veronicastrum virginicum: Grow culver's root in full sun with regular watering. It can tolerate wet soil, making it a good choice for a poorly drained area of the yard or for inclusion in a rain garden. In very hot areas of the Deep South, veronicastrums need some light shade in the afternoon. They can take a few years to become established, but then they are robust and low maintenance. It's helpful to cut the stems back by a third to a half their length in mid to late spring (a practice known as the Chelsea chop). This will delay blooming but create a heavier bloom because it encourages branching. USDA Zones 3–8.

Image credit: Frank Mayfield/CC BY-SA 2.0