Bring countless butterflies and other flying delights to your late-season garden with Missouri Ironweed, Vernonia missurica. An exceptional Missouri and Illinois native perennial, this pollinator powerhouse brings needed food to many species. In late summer its plump buds burst open with florets of bright purple. Its soft as velvet leaves add another enchanting feature. Many plant enthusiasts have commented that Missouri Ironweed is the prettiest and most garden-worthy of all Ironweed.

Use Missouri Ironweed in wildflower and naturalized areas. Scores of butterflies and other important pollinators swarm it in rain, native, and prairie gardens. Songbirds adore its tasty seeds. It grows 3-5′ tall, making it a good background for other perennials. It adds a striking presence mixed with perennial sunflowers and tall flowering grasses. Vernonia is named Ironweed for its tough stems, rust-tinged fading flowers, and seeds. You can spot Vernonia in their native habitats–meadows, along creeks and streams, thickets, bright woods, prairies, and glades. Good for areas with moist soils. Plants will grow tallest in wet areas. Deer and rabbit resistant.

Growing instructions: plant in average soil in full sun. Plants prefer moist conditions yet will grow well in most soils. To keep plants shorter, pinch off growing tips in spring.