Native wildflowers make wonderful garden guests, as they’re easy care, often drought-tolerant and absolutely lovely. Culver’s root flowers deserve your consideration. What is Culver’s root? It’s a native perennial plant that shows off in summer with long stalks of tiny white blossoms beloved by bees, both domesticated and wild. Read on for information on how to grow Culver’s root, as well as tips on Culver’s root care.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Veronicastrum virginicum, or Culver’s root, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It is native to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.
Other names and variants include Culver’s-root, Culverphysic, Culver’s physic, black root. The Latin specific epithet virginicum means “of Virginia”, referring to a historic definition covering the entire eastern USA and southeastern Canada, (which roughly corresponds to its current distribution). The name “Culver’s root” derives from a certain Dr. Culver who was a pioneer physician of the 18th century and used its bitter roots for purgative purposes.
The stems are hairless and usually unbranched. The leaves are serrated and arranged in whorls of 3-7 around the stem. The inflorescence is erect with slender and spike-like racemes to about 9 in (23 cm) long, giving the flower cluster a candelabra-like appearance. The stamens are crowded and protrude in a brush-like fashion perpendicular to the raceme. The corollas are white and are roughly 2 mm in length. These plants flower for about a month from mid-June to late August, depending on the latitude.
Veronicastrum virginicum is cultivated as an ornamental for temperate gardens in the Eastern and Central United States around its native range. Most native plant nurseries commonly sell this easy and adaptable perennial. Even some conventional nurseries sell this plant, though it is not common yet in American landscapes and gardens. It is fully hardy down to at least −20 °C (−4 °F), and grows in full sun to part shade and any moist, well-drained soil. It is easy to dig up, divide, and reset like a good number of standard perennials if they get too large or crowded. It stays as an upright clump and does not spread far. Plants rarely need staking; however, older clumps may require this. It can be pruned down in late May or dug up, divided, and reset. This plant does some self-sowing with its tiny seed.
In the UK the cultivars ‘Album’, with white flowers, and ‘Lavendelturm’, with lilac flowers, have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Grow this flower in full sun to light, partial shade. In northern climates, it will do better in full sun. In hot, humid southern climates, plant it at a woodland edge where it will receive some afternoon shade. However, this plant will become weak and leggy if grown with too much shade.
Temperature
Culver’s root is widely adapted to different climate conditions. It can grow in cooler northern climates and warmer southern climates, although it seems to grow best in cooler conditions in hardiness zones 3-8. It can easily withstand freezing winter temperatures as the roots safely overwinter.
Watering
Culver’s root prefers a moist site. It is not a good plant for dry sites. If you have a location that holds a bit of water, such as in a rain garden or the border of a pond, this location would be ideal. If you plant it in a dry site, you must do a lot of extra watering to keep it happy.
Soil
The soil should be of average quality or organically rich. It can be well-drained but must be able to hold consistent moisture. Culver’s root prefers a site with neutral to slightly acidic soil with a pH of less than 6.8.
Fertilizing
You don’t need to add extra fertilizer to your Culver’s root plants. These plants do appreciate organically rich soil, however. Place them in a spot with some added organic compost to get them a great start. Mulch around your plants with natural, organic, biodegradable compost materials that will enrich the soil in the area.
Pruning
After plants bloom in midsummer, snip off the spent flowers to encourage the development of new flower spikes. After the bloom period is over, you can cut the plant back to the basal growth (the level where leaves, stems, and shoots start to grow), which encourages new foliage growth late in the summer and early fall.
Propagation
If you have access to a mature plant, there are several ways to propagate Culver’s root. You can also often find them for sale at nurseries and greenhouses specializing in native plants.
Seed
Culver’s root plants can be started from seed. You can collect your own in autumn from an established plant or purchase seeds from a reputable seed company. These seeds benefit from a cold, moist stratification before germination.
The best time to sow the seeds is in the late fall. Sprinkle them on the ground where you’d like them to grow and press them down to ensure good soil contact. The seeds are tiny and require light for germination, so you won’t need to bury them at all. However, you will need to keep the soil moist until they germinate.
After overwintering, they will naturally germinate in the springtime. You can protect your tiny new plants by placing a critter cage over them to deter squirrels from digging them up. If you want to provide extra insulation against cold snaps, cover the cage with a frost blanket that fits right over the top.
Division
Dividing larger mature plans is the easiest way to propagate Culver’s root. Divide larger clusters of plants in late fall or early spring. Dig out a healthy chunk of rootstock and make sure that you have some buds or stems to guarantee you are getting a complete plant.
Separate your cluster into two parts. You can dig and remove half and transplant it to another location. If you have gardening friends, you can divide your larger clusters in the fall and offer new plant starts to others interested in native plants.
Cuttings
Take a few softwood cuttings in the spring if you want to try propagating by cuttings. Use sharp, clean clippers, and take a four to six-inch cutting of a stem with fresh spring growth.
Strip any leaves off the lower two inches and dip this stem section in a rooting hormone. Place the cutting into a pot with fresh, clean soil. Locate your pot in a warm and protected place and keep the soil moist but not wet.
In a few weeks, your cutting should start developing new roots, and you will know the cutting has been successful when it starts to develop fresh new growth at the top. Not all cuttings will root successfully, so you may want to take two or three cuttings to increase your chances of at least one that takes root.
Transplanting
When you have a well-developed cutting or a young plant purchased from a garden center, you must transplant it into your garden. First, identify where you want it to grow, ensuring your site will get plenty of bright sunlight and consistently moist soil. The ideal time to transplant any perennial wildflower will be early spring or fall.
Dig a hole slightly deeper and wider than the root ball of your potted plant. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and transfer it into the hole, matching the soil level or the potted plant to the surrounding soil level.
Then, re-fill the hole and pat down the soil around the roots and stem. Finally, give your new transplant a thorough watering and keep it moist for the next couple of weeks to help it adjust.
Potting and Repotting
The plant is typically not grown in pots for a reason—it looks best in the landscape and it gets tall and wide and is prone to toppling over. If you decide to grow it in a pot, choose one made of a heavy material (terra-cotta or ceramic) and make sure it has large drainage holes. Use a well-draining potting mix and water it daily, in hot weather even twice a day, to keep the soil moist.
Pests and Diseases
Culver’s root attracts a range of pests, primarily lygus bugs and the Culver’s root borer moth which feeds on the root of the plant. Occasionally aphids, leaf beetles, leafhoppers, thrips, and Japanese beetles attack the plant.
It does not get serious diseases and is resistant to deer and rabbits.
III. Uses and Benefits
- Ornamental uses
Culver’s root is a lovely and unusual addition to borders due to the vertical lines it adds to the composition. Its inflorescences are tall, upright, rich, and feathery; although commonly white, sometimes they feature a decorative purplish tinge. The bloom time lasts through midsummer. Culver’s root is a long-lived perennial, but it can take a few years for it to become fully established.
- Wildlife Value
This is an excellent plant to attract pollinators, particularly native bees and other beneficial insects. It also attracts butterflies and moths. When grown with other pollinator-friendly plants, it makes an excellent addition to your butterfly or pollinator garden.
As a pollinator plant, it is particularly important. Culver’s root blooms from late spring into early summer, filling in the gap between spring flowering plants and when most summer flowers are in full bloom.