Obedient Plant gets its name for the particular habit of it’s flowers – push them in any given direction and they will stay in that new position. Still, there are other reasons this plant could have come to earn it’s namesake.

Obedient Plants are native to much of America and Canada, and is very accepting of a wide range of soils and conditions, thriving in sandy, loam and clay soils. It’s typically grown in soils with average moisture, but will tolerate wetter soils. Here, wild Obedient Plant has spread along our pond’s edge.

The wide range of conditions which support Physostegia virginiana and it’s robust terminal spikes make it a particularly great addition to the pollinator garden or homestead. Numerous types of native bees have relied on Obedient Plant as a food source going back at least a millenium. So have hummingbirds and butterflies.

The Crystal Peak White variety itself has been bred for a longer bloom season in the summer and to provide a self-cleaning nature – little to no dead heading required. Welcome improvements for both the pollinator population and us two-legged appreciators of blooms, alike!

The eye-catching summer display provided by these beauties can often be encouraged to eventually blanket a garden as desired, due to their ready ability to naturalize an area by both rhizomatous activity and self sowing.

Care: Obedient Plant is a low care perennial once established. In somewhat drier climates, it’s best to provide mulch and water periodically, but in moderate to rainy climates, this is generally unnecessary.

In richer soils, or hotter climates, it can be helpful to cut back the plant to just above the soil level in mid-spring. This will help prevent the plant from getting too tall and top heavy during the bloom season, making a need for staking far less likely.

Otherwise, in moderately rich soils and in climates that rarely go above 90 degrees F, just sit back and enjoy. Then, every three or four years, get out of your chair and divide Crystal Peak White to keep it in tip top condition.

Bonus Tip: Bird , butterfly and bee lovers are welcomed to consider the following rewarding display: Feature Elderberry, with Obedient Plant joining Foxglove in the foreground, and Cardinal flower to the east and west side of your Elderberry shrub. A mature Elderberry will begin ripening it’s rich-colored (and bird drawing) fruit just as these three perennials are coming into bloom, drawing a who’s who of birds and pollinators into your visual space.

Photo Credit:
Patrick Standish