Culver's Root

The height, the white spires, and the pollinator traffic in late summer make this one of the most reliable architectural perennials for the back of the border.

Culver's Root is one of those back-of-border plants that arrives quietly and then commands the late summer garden. The straight species reaches five to six feet, sending up dense white flower spires that open progressively from base to tip starting in July. The whorled leaves, arranged in sets of three to seven around the stem, give the plant a sculptural quality even out of bloom. Planted in a mass or anchoring the back of a perennial border, it creates the kind of layered height that makes a garden feel intentional. White flower spikes this tall and this prolific attract a remarkable range of pollinators. Bumblebees work the spires from top to bottom, and hummingbirds hover alongside them during the long bloom window. Culver's Root is native to moist prairies and open woodlands throughout the East, and it performs best with consistent soil moisture. Plant it near a rain garden or low spot where water lingers, or pair it with regular watering in drier sites.