This perennial will become a regal presence in your garden when your spring-blooming plants fade.
It’s also a good choice for creating a living screen or fence.
Plant it near your property line where it will enclose your space with frothy flowers.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
Native to wetlands, this perennial will also thrive in rain gardens.
For an eye-catching texture contrast, add regional grasses.
A few striking examples include ‘Cheyenne Sky’switch grass, ‘Carousel’little bluestem, and bluesedge.
Credit: Stephen Cridland
Dig a hole about the same width and depth as the planting container.Mix some compostinto the soil.
Remove the plant and loosen the roots from the root ball before placing in the hole.
Backfill with the mixed soil, tamp lightly, and water well.
Credit: Lynn Karlin
Space several plants 2 feet apart.
Queen of the prairie rarely needs staking.
Queen of the Prairie Care Tips
Light
Plant infull sunor part shade.
It does well in rich garden soil but will excel in a damp setting that mimics its native habitat.
Ensure that it receives ample watering during dry spells.
Temperature and Humidity
As aprairie native, this plant can handle temperature and humidity extremes.
It can handle cold winters and hot summers but is not suited to arid climates.
Fertilizer
Queen of the prairie likes a rich, fertile soil.
Cut the flower stalks down to the ground in late fall or early spring before new growth begins.
Your plants will usually recover the following year but cut foliage back in late summer if it becomes unsightly.
ensure that your plants are spaced well to provide good air circulation.
Deer generally won’t bother this plant.
To divide queen of the prairie, dig it up and keep plenty of soil around the roots.
Check to ensure there’s at least one healthy root shoot per division.
Use a sharp knife or shears to divide with clean cuts.
The plant self-seeds freely and can form a large colony if given the best conditions.
Growing by seed indoors isn’t as reliableit requires cold stratification and up to several months for germination.
has striking deep pink to red flowers that will spice up your garden.
They’re valued for their long bloom seasonright up until frost.
Zones 3-10
Lobelia
Colorful lobeliasare excellentfor landscapingaround pondsand streamsanywhere the soil is consistently moist.
Lobelia loves wet conditions, making it a top choice for bog gardens.
The foliage is a rich green to sometimes dark reddish-purple.
The plant produces impressive spikes of flowers in red, pink, blue, and white shades.
This robust perennialneeds little coddlingand develops masses of mauve flower heads in the late summer and fall.
Joe Pye is a plant that likes wet soil and has no insect ordisease problems.
Joe Pye weed’s nectar-rich blooms also are a butterfly favorite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Queen of the prairie can reach a lofty height and spread.
Depending on the variety, plants can grow up to 8 feet tall and spread more than 3 feet.
As a prairie native, queen of the prairie is not invasive.
The large panicles of fragrant flowers bloom for about 3 weeks in summer.
Letting the flower heads fade and dry on the plant continues the show through fall.
Cut the flowers that have just opened and strip any leaves from the stems that will sit in water.
Cutting the flowers for bouquets will also prevent them from going to seed and keep spreading in check.
