White Snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
Clouds of clean white flowers light up the fall shade garden in September and October. Deer-proof, and a late nectar stop for monarchs.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Bright white fall bloom in full shade when the woodland garden most needs light -- and completely ignored by deer.
White snakeroot is fall's great shade plant. In September and October, it covers itself with bright, clean white flat-topped flower clusters that glow in the dim light under trees when other plants have checked out for the season. The flowers are small individually but arranged in such dense clusters that the plant reads as a cloud of white from any distance. Against dark woodland soil and the first falling leaves, the effect is genuinely beautiful. A plant that colonizes freely by seed in moist, shaded conditions -- which means it can be a vigorous spreader in favorable sites. Managed thoughtfully, it fills the fall shade garden role that no other plant handles as well. The deeply toxic foliage makes it completely unpalatable to deer and one of the most deer-proof shade perennials available. An important late-season nectar source for monarchs moving through woodland edges.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown white snakeroot propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft · 18–30 in wide
- Bloom time
- September–October
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 3–8
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America from Quebec south to Florida and west to the Great Plains, in woodland edges, disturbed areas, and moist thickets
Care notes for white snakeroot.
Part sun to full shade in moist to average, well-drained soil. Self-seeds prolifically in ideal conditions -- deadhead to control spread, or allow to naturalize freely in a woodland setting. Cut back in early spring. Division is rarely needed.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside white snakeroot.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.