Vernonia Species, Common Ironweed, Prairie Ironweed, Smooth Ironweed

This plant is native to the US plant and was found in the Tallgrass Prairies. They like moist, but not wet conditions; they have done we...Read Morell without any watering other than what the Lord provides. Unlike some Ironweeds, this will grow in part-shade conditions.

One thing that often happens with tall plants is they are prone to flop, either from height, winds or heavy rains. Of the two full summers we had this plant grow and thrive, they have stood tall among the "flops" of the Maximilian Sunflowers and Rough Blazingstars. We've seen many pollinators on this plant, but not a lot of them being large butterflies. The leaves get chewed on, but nothing has ever caused great damage.

I have seen this plant flourish in a garden in central Illinois - very hot summers and cold winters. It is an amazing attractor of butter...Read Moreflies and hummingbirds - there is always something interesting going on when the flowers are open (end of July this year). The bugs and birds ignore all the other "butterfly attractors" in the garden and go straight for the ironweed.
However, unlike the height given on this site, the ironweed
I saw (established over a few years) grows at least 6 feet tall.

Ironweeds are good looking, easy to grow, and low maintenance perennials that grow wild in meadows. Native nurseries, as Prairie Nursery ...Read Morein Westfield Wisconsin, sell this spcies native to eastern North America. Some may need some staking.

The plant bloomed well but was too far in the back of the border. So I dug it up to divide it -- and what a job! It was very well rooted ...Read Moreafter two years, and I had to saw the rootball apart. There was no other way to divide it.