Vernonia baldwinii - Ironweed

Vernonia baldwinii is wild vernonia native to the central-southern United States, a robust plant capable of competing with the tall grasses of the North American prairie. This perennial, with its large leafy stems, often exceeds 1 metre (3 feet) high. It produces large terminal inflorescences composed of small pink-violet, tousled heads for about a month in the heart of summer. It is related to asters and loved by bees and butterflies. It withstands harsh winters, scorching summers, and accepts all types of soils if they are not too dry. It can be a bit invasive where it is happy and will settle in a natural garden, at the back of a flower bed or near water.

Vernonia baldwinii belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a majestic plant, widespread in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, where it grows in meadows and along roads and waterways, sometimes reaching a height of 2m (7ft). Here, it is a herbaceous perennial with a powerful rhizomatous crown that reaches a height of 1.30m (4ft) and occupies 50cm (20in) of ground space, spreading over time. It grows quite quickly, but takes two years to establish itself. It forms a clump of tall and sturdy, straight, hairy, unbranched stems, bearing alternate, simple lance-shaped leaves with toothed margins. The dark green leaves are 12cm (5in) long and 5cm (2in) wide. From July-August to September-October, depending on the climate, it has many flowers, like small tousled, pink-violet pompoms gathered in flattened terminal corymbs at the ends of the stems. The long-lasting flowers all open at the same time, attracting lots of butterflies. Goldfinches feast on its seeds at the end of the season.

Vernonia baldwinii is very hardy and easy to grow and sometimes becomes invasive in favourable conditions. For this reason, it is best reserved for large gardens, along watercourses, and in natural meadows, where there is no problem with it spreading. It pairs well with a multitude of plants and forms beautiful autumn compositions. On the banks of a pond, it blends with similar-looking joe-pye weeds, Lythrum salicaria, Filipendula rubra 'Venusta', Euphorbia palustris. In a more wild style, at the back of a flower bed, this imposing perennial forms a very successful combination with Rudbeckia maxima and tall grasses like Miscanthus 'Malepartus', Panicum, Stipa...