Veronicastrum virginicum

With their tall, tapering shape and soft white glow, the flowers of Culver’s root lend an air of enchantment to the garden, like the spires of a palace in some mystic realm. The plant’s visitors are equally fantastical, including that famous orange and black traveler, the monarch butterfly.

Native to NE Ohio meadows and woodland edges, Culver’s root grows well in both partial shade and full sun, and soils of average moisture. Its tall, slender form adds variety to the garden structure, and the rings of leaves around its stem are a fun element. As a white midsummer bloomer, Culver’s root makes a fine contribution to the yellows and pinks of plants like wild bergamot and grey-headed coneflower. The plant may spread by rhizome and seed to form a small colony, but it is not an aggressive spreader.

Culver’s root is a top-rated plant for pollinators, attracting a wide range of bees, flies, and butterflies. The flowers provide easily accessible nectar and are thus a great resource for short-tongued insects.

References: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.

Photo © Aaron Carlson, CC BY-SA 2.0.