Prairie Princess is a compact, full ironweed that covers its upper half with clusters of rosy purple flowers from late summer into early fall. Dark olive-green leaves with a silver cast look good the rest of the season.
Compared with the wild species it is shorter and sturdier, with stems that stay upright in heavy rain, leaves that hold on through summer heat and better mildew resistance. It is a tough native for prairie gardens, sunny borders and pollinator plantings.
What it looks like
Flat to domed clusters 3 to 5 inches wide of small, fluffy, thistle-like flower heads in rosy purple, covering the top half of the plant. Leaves are narrow, lance-shaped and finely toothed, 3 to 5 inches long, dark olive green with a silvery sheen, set densely along sturdy upright stems. The plant forms a compact, full, rounded clump 26 to 30 inches tall and 30 to 36 inches wide. At peak it looks like a dark green dome capped with rosy purple fluff.
Growing it with lavender
Ironweed grows happily in the same full sun and lean soil as lavender, and its late rosy purple flower clusters make a tall backdrop that keeps purple in the garden long after the lavender harvest.
Care
Plant in full sun in average soil; it adapts to dry or moist ground and handles heat well once established. Hardy in zones 4-9; leave the seed heads standing for winter interest and cut the stems back in early spring.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Vernonia
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Flower color: Rosy purple
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Foliage: Dark olive green with a silver cast
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Growth habit: Compact, full, rounded clump
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Mature size: 26–30 in tall × 30–36 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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Light: full sun
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Bloom start: Mid-August
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Peak bloom: Early-September
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Excellent
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly.