Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Dense white spires to six feet that bumblebees work top to bottom while hummingbirds hover alongside. Sculptural whorled leaves even out of bloom.
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
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.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown culver's root 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
- Average
- Mature size
- 4–6 ft · 18–24 in wide
- Bloom time
- Late summer
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Ontario south to Florida and west to the Great Plains
Care notes for culver's root.
Full to part sun, average to consistently moist soil. Performs best with steady moisture but tolerates brief dry spells once established. Staking may be needed in loose, rich soils. site in slightly lean conditions to keep stems upright. Divide every three to four years. Cut to ground after frost. No significant pests.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside culver's root.
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’.