Physostegia virginiana
Virginia False Dragonhead or Obedient Plant
- Average to high moisture soils
- Full Sun to part shade
- 4’ tall, 1’ to 2’ wide, spreading to form a patch
- Late Summer Blooms
- Ontario Native, Thrives in High Moisture Ecosystems, Gardens, Meadows and Open Woodlands
Just beginning to become established in the spaces I tend, False Dragonhead is rather famous for their capacity to wander around and overwhelm less enthusiastic species.
Their showy, late summer blooms are rich in nectar and attract, and feed, a lot of pollinator species.
While they enjoy a high moisture setting, they adapt perfectly well to average or even slightly dry conditions, where their tendency to wander, or overrun, can be moderated to the point where they play well with less enthusiastic spreaders.
In areas with ideal conditions, pair them with similarly rambunctious species like Prairie Sundrops, Monardas and Panicled Aster or with species that are quite accomplished at holding their own, like Joe-Pye-Weed and Swamp Rosemallow.
These plants are grown from seeds from the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library.
The photos are from a B&B I stayed at a few years ago in Vermont.
