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, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 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.
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