Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Silvery flower globes on tall stems over spiky, yucca-like leaves. A deer-proof statement plant for hot, dry borders, meadows, and gravel gardens.
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
Unmatched architectural presence. the most structurally dramatic native perennial for dry sunny gardens.
Rattlesnake Master is the most architecturally striking native perennial we grow. The stiff, yucca-like leaves edged with sharp teeth rise in a basal rosette, then send up tall stems in summer bearing round, silvery-green flower globes that look like something from a Dr. Seuss illustration. The visual effect is structural, almost otherworldly, and unmistakable in any planting. Touch the silvery flower heads and they feel almost metallic. Insects are drawn to them in large numbers regardless: native bees, wasps, and beetles treat each globe as a landing platform. The plant is completely deer-resistant (the spiny leaves make that obvious) and thrives in hot, dry, rocky or sandy soil where other perennials fail. It will become a statement plant in any sunny border, meadow, or gravel garden.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown rattlesnake master 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
- Full sun
- Water
- Dry
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- Summer
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Native range
- Central and eastern United States, from New Jersey to Minnesota south to Florida and Texas
Care notes for rattlesnake master.
Plant in full sun in well-drained to dry soil. Avoid clay or consistently moist conditions. This plant is adapted to drought and actually performs worse in rich, moist soil. Leave seed heads through winter. they hold their architectural form beautifully. No division needed. May be slow to establish in the first year but is long-lived once settled.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside rattlesnake master.
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’.