09/14/2026
This NATIVE is vivid, voluptuous, & vital - it's Vernonia noveboracensis - our native New York Ironweed.
This time of year, its vibrant, velvety, violet blooms vigorously vault skyward, providing utterly valuable resources to pollinators while we get to view & enjoy this vivacious end-of-summer spectacle!
It's a life-saver for monarch butterflies, swallowtails, native bees & countless types of skippers thanks to its rich & seemingly endless nectar that stretches into October. There are few native perennials that rival the importance of ironweed for migratory insect survival.
The common name makes this plant sound tough, and tough it is! Not only can it adapt and thrive in both soggy lowland settings and dry meadows, but it has an incredible ability to reach heights of up to 7 feet without flopping over. This is thanks to the rigid strength of its iron-like stems. There is no staking required to keep this towering beauty upright!
Ironweed even has great potential for soil remediation. The roots may be able to absorb and remove heavy metals from the ground.
For a tall plant in the background of a garden bed, or for an addition to meadows or pollinator gardens, consider this important native. Ironweed rises slowly throughout early summer, but your patience will be worth the wait. When the entire plant is crowned with clusters of royal, electric purple flowers (which make great cut flowers & have a long vase-life), you'll wish you planted more! Cameras can't seem to capture the intensity of the color, & the flowers seem to catch fire in the sun, and look incredible against the background colors of autumn. Each flower head is a tight bouquet of threadlike, curling florets as smooth as spun silk, bursting forth from a central point in vibrant sprays.
The blooms are countless as they float on their tall, unbending stems, and in a breeze, the whole plant moves with the rhythm of tall grasses. Because it likes to grow up, and not as much out, it is an easy perennial to tuck in between others where it can reach its glory with this late season color.
Stop by Abernethy & Spencer today and find this native in N3!
