Physostegia virginiana
Obedient plant
Common names: Virginia obedient plant, Virginia false dragonhead
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Pot size
- from 15 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jul–Sep
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: LinBow · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The obedient plant, botanically Physostegia virginiana, comes from the eastern part of North America, where it grows on stream banks and in damp meadows. It gets its name from its flowers: they sit in four rows at the tips of the shoots, and when you turn a flower to the side, it stays in its new position for a while. The perennial grows 90 to 120 cm tall, and its square stems carry narrow, serrated leaves. From July to September, the two-lipped flowers bloom in pink, lilac, or white, filling a gap when many other perennials have already finished flowering. Bees and bumblebees readily visit them. It can be planted in a perennial bed, at the edge of a pond, or in a corner of a natural garden. However, it spreads through underground runners and forms dense stands over the years. Cultivars are also available that are noticeably shorter.
Care instructions
Plant the obedient plant in spring or September in a sunny to partly shaded spot with fresh, humus-rich soil, spacing plants 40 to 50 cm apart. The soil should never dry out for long: during dry periods, water thoroughly, preferably in the morning during midsummer. Cut the shoots back by about one third at the end of May, so they grow bushier and sturdier. Support tall cultivars additionally with a plant support frame. In late autumn or February, cut the dead shoots back to about one hand's width above the ground. To slow its spread, cut off runners at the edge of the clump in spring, or install a sturdy rhizome barrier before planting. In a container, it stays well under control. Common mistakes are a spot that is too dry, where the leaves wilt, and too much shade, where the shoots become thin and topple over.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingFeb–Mar, Oct–Nov
FloweringJul–Sep
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 8 °C, ideally 18 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Obedient plant grows best in fresh to moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich soil, like that found on stream banks and in damp meadows. Loamy garden soil with plenty of compost is ideal, and the pH can range from slightly acidic to neutral. It tolerates temporarily wet feet well. Avoid dry, sandy spots, or improve them with plenty of humus before planting, otherwise the leaves wilt as early as high summer.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, Jun
Obedient plant takes up nutrients readily, but with too much nitrogen it becomes soft and flops over. In March spread ripe compost around the plants; in June a second thin layer is enough. Well-rotted manure or horn shavings also suit it. In a container, give it a liquid fertiliser for flowering plants about every two weeks during the growing season, mixed rather weak, and stop feeding as soon as flowering is over.
Overwintering
Obedient plant is fully hardy and survives frost down to about minus 30 degrees in the bed without protection. Cut the dead shoots back in late autumn to a hand's breadth above the ground, or leave them standing until February. In a container, place the pot against a sheltered house wall, wrap it in horticultural fleece or hessian, and water on frost-free days so the root ball does not dry out.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- From seed
- Cuttings
The easiest way to propagate obedient plant is by division: in spring or in September, lift the rootstock together with its runners, divide it with a spade and replant the pieces straight away. Runners that have already rooted can simply be separated off. Cuttings also work in May and June: take tip cuttings about 10 cm long, remove the lower leaves and insert them into moist seed compost. Sowing is possible, but the seeds germinate best after a cold period: sow them in October or November in pots that overwinter outdoors, or in February and March after a few weeks in the fridge. Cultivars do not come true from seed.
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 41 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
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