Zone: 3 to 9

Soil: sand to clay

Light: Full sun to part sun

Bloom colour: Pink or white

Bloom period: August - September

Height: 3 to 4 feet

Moisture: Usually medium to moist

Attracts: A variety of bees and butterflies.

Notes: There are about a dozen species of Dragon-head in North America, but only Physostegia virginiana shown here is indigenous to Ontario. This species is also the only one that you are likely to find on sale in a nursery. It occurs naturally over a large part of North America along river banks and wet meadows and in wetlands that experience temporary dryness. This latter habitat is where obedient plant can be a dominant flowering plant. In moist rich soil, this plant can be somewhat invasive and will need cutting back unless you buy a cultivar like "Miss Manners" which is more clump forming. The ability of this plant to survive both flooding and drought makes it a rather easy plant to grow as long as the soil is well-drained.