obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size3 to 4 feet tall2 to 3 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White , pink , purple
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is a perennial for borders, cottage gardens, rain gardens, and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to wet soil of most types. Its flower spikes stay in place when you bend them, which gives the plant its name. Deer tend to pass it by. It spreads by stolons, but the shallow roots are easy to pull out.
Pairs well with Spotted joe-pye weed, Standing Ovation little bluestem, Lanceleaf coreopsis, and Indian grass.
Native range
North America.