Verbesina virginica

Product Info

Common Frostweed (Verbesina virginica)
Aster Family

Common Frostweed is a tall, native perennial found in moist, shady habitats throughout the southeastern and central United States. It typically grows 3 to 6 feet, with sturdy, winged stems and coarse-textured foliage. Flowering occurs from late summer into fall, when flat-topped clusters of small, white, daisy-like flowers bloom at the tips of the stems, providing important late-season nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. After blooming, the flowers give way to small, dark seeds that provide food for overwintering birds. It is perhaps best known for its unusual “frost flowers”—a phenomenon where ribbons of ice are extruded from the base of the stem during the first hard freezes of fall, creating delicate, sculptural formations. Common Frostweed is best for naturalizing or placed in the back of the garden due to its height and sometimes aggressive nature.

• Blooms: White, 4-6 weeks, Aug-Sept 
• Leaves: Large, coarse, dark green
• Height: 3-6’
• Space:2-3’
• Soil:Avg-Moist-Dry
• Exposure:Part shade-Shade
• Fauna:High value pollinator plant, most pollinator types
• Seeds:Flat, wind dispersed, persist into winter for birds
• Deer Resistance:Medium
• Zone:6-9
• Native Status: NC native, common in the Mountains and Piedmont, rare in the Coastal Plain
• Provenance:WV, seed grown