Vernonia noveboracensis

New York ironweed -- grown here from native Rhode Island seed -- makes an ideal subject for just about any large wildflower planting, provided sunlight is ample and the soil isn't dust-dry.  Tall upright stems clothed with bold tongue-shaped leaves provide season-long structure, with fuzzy clusters of purple flowers adding to the display in late summer, much to the delight of pollinators.  Plants spread fairly rapidly via rhizomes.

Sun; average to moist soil; 6'x4'; late summer; RI native; Zone 4

Propagated from RI seed; deep 3.5-inch pots

Photo: westher