Obedient Plant

Physostegia virginiana

Origin: North America

Improvement status: Wild

Seeds per packet: ~180

Germination tested 10/2024: 34%

Life cycle: Perennial

This is one of the most beautiful native wildflowers North America has to offer. It's a long-lived perennial that spreads rhizomatously and can form large colonies. It has stunningly beautiful tubular blooms, like a cross between a snapdragon and a foxglove, which are irresistible to hummingbirds and other pollinators. Colors can vary, but it is most often pink or white. It has a wide range, from Quebec and Manitoba in the north to Florida and New Mexico in the south, and is hardy from Zones 3 to 9.

It's called "obedient plant" because the flowers have a unique trait: you can shift them in any direction and they won't bounce back to their natural position. This makes them lots of fun in the garden, for kids and adults alike!

Our seed comes from our friends Skye Harnsberger and Dylan Bruce of Circadian Organics in southwest Wisconsin. 

4 feet in height by 2 feet wide at maturity.

Wet to medium soil.

GROWING TIPS: Seeds germinate best after a 60 day period of cold/moist stratification. Fall sow or get them moist and keep in fridge prior to planting.