Physostegia virginiana – Obedient Plant

General Information: Clumping perennial wildflower with erect, square stems, up to 5′ tall. Flower spikes can be pink, lavender, or white, and consist of many long-lived tubular flowers. An unparalleled flower choice in terms of longevity and vitality. These plants are native to moist stream banks and wet meadows throughout Eastern North America, and garden soils are a particularly well-suited environment for them. In most garden soils the plant will readily spread and re-seed, sometimes aggressively, however in drier areas their spreading is much more limited.

Cultivation Details: Blooms from July – October. Deer resistant. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Consider planting in pollinator gardens, as a specimen plant, in a rain garden, or in rewilding projects. This plant is also suitable for container planting. Obedient Plant flower spikes can be used as a long-lived cut flower. The seed pods of this plant are very effective at dispersal, exploding and scattering seeds quite far from the original plant. Deadhead spent flowers to limit spreading via seed.

Growing Requirements: Plant in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Tolerates dry soils once fully established. Succeeds in most soil types. Especially tolerant of gravelly soil. Suitable for planting in slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline soils.

Fun Facts: Flowers can be manually swiveled and will “obey” by staying in their new orientation for some time, hence the name “Obedient Plant.”