Vernonia

A tall native eastern US perennial with deep purple-magenta flower clusters in late summer - among the most striking color in the native fall meadow palette. Tall and tolerant of wet feet; pairs visually with joe-pye weed + goldenrod for an iconic eastern wet-meadow trio.

A tall, clump-forming North American prairie perennial topped in late summer by broad, flat clusters of intense red-purple flowers. Native to the moist tallgrass prairies, wet meadows, and streambanks of the central United States and prairie Canada, it stands 3 to 6 feet on stiff, unbranched stems and demands full sun with consistently moist soil. Its late-season nectar makes it an outstanding pollinator plant - a fueling stop for monarchs heading south and a magnet for native bees and butterflies when little else is blooming.