Vernonia crinita - Ironweed

Vernonia crinita, also known as Vernone, is a tall perennial plant with a slightly untidy appearance that works well in natural gardens or near water features. Its leafy, straight and sturdy stems bear beautiful corymbs of deep pink flowers with a hint of purple from the second half of summer. Related to asters and resembling eupatoriums, this North American species can withstand harsh winters and scorching summers, as long as the soil does not completely dry out.

Vernonia crinita belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a majestic wild plant, native to North America, where it grows in moist meadows and can reach heights of up to 3m (10ft). In less favourable soil conditions, this herbaceous perennial with a woody base will not exceed 2m (7ft) high and will cover an area of 50cm (20in) on the ground. Its growth is quite fast, but it takes two years to establish. It forms a clump of tall and sturdy, straight, sparsely branched stems, bearing alternate, simple, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. Flowering occurs from July-August to September-October, earlier or later depending on the climate. Vernonia produces lots of fluffy, rust-coloured flowers, grouped in terminal corymbs at the ends of the stems. The flowers open all at once, and last a long time, attracting a large number of butterflies in a magnificent spectacle. The vegetation of the Vernonia is deciduous, emerging from the ground in spring and drying up in late autumn.

This very hardy plant is easy to grow and pairs well with many other plants to create magnificent autumn compositions. On pond edges, it can be combined with eupatoriums, Lythrum salicaria, Filipendula, Euphorbia palustris, Vervain hastata... In a more wild style, it blends well with large autumn asters and tall grasses such as Miscanthus, Panicum, Stipa...