Plant of the Week

Hoary vervain
Verbena stricta Vent.
other common names: mullein-leaved verbena, woolly verbena
Verbena: a Latin name for any sacred herb
Stricta: meaning “strict”
Vervain family: Verbenaceae

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition

March Gardening Tip

When buying bedding plants, choose those that aren't in bloom. If they already have bloomed, pinch off the blooms when you plant them. Your plant will get established faster, and you will have a bushier plant.
--Agnes Kozisek, Ventura Garden Club


Veronica Lorson Fowler with the Federated Garden Clubs of Iowa, Gardening in Iowa and Surrounding Areas

Aromatic aster - Art by Claudia McGehee

Aromatic aster, Aster oblongifolius

In the fall, after most plants have finished blooming, aromatic aster opens its flowers across the prairie. Each bushy plant has hundreds of bright purple flowers with yellow centers.

Claudia McGehee, A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet