Queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra)

Truly a queen in the right habitat, weedy in dry spots

Native to moist meadows and woods edge throughout much of northeastern North America. Sun or partial shade.

4-5' tall

Blooms in July

No fragrance.

If grown in normal garden soil that dries down between watering, or grown in shade, this species will run and become weedy. By contrast, in sunny, constantly moist areas it forms thick colonies.

Cut to the ground after bloom to encourage new, clean foliage.

Divide the thick, running root to make more plants. Cut out discolored sections of root where late summer fungus infected the stems.

Special notes: Do not collect from the wild without checking the species' current regional status. Endangered and threatened in various parts of its native range. in 2012, endangered in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina, and threatened in Iowa and Michigan.

Below: Queen of the prairie is beautiful in high summer. Another high summer North American native for moist meadows appears in the background on the left side -- those white spikes are culver's root, Veronicastrum virginicum.