Looking for Bursts of Purple? You NEED Ironweed!
- Aug 27, 2025
- 2 min read
If you’re looking for a plant to give you multi seasonal interest in that consistently moist area in your garden, look no further than Ironweed.
In Spring, this perennial emerges with strong stalks that form a bush-like appearance with all of its narrow foliage, which gives it an amazing presence from Spring through Summer.
End of the Summer going into Fall, this plant gets covered in hundreds if not thousands of these purple flowers that adorn the plant going all the way through October.
Then as Fall transitions into Winter, you get another added attraction as all of these leaves take on a beautiful purple color before falling off.
Through the winter, these seedheads will stay on and feed many different types of insects and birds alike.
There aren’t too many flowers that get this vibrant of a purple color, especially at this time of the year. This is why Ironweed is the perfect addition to your Fall garden!
Ironweed is in the genus Vernonia, which includes many species. Here at Bountiful Gardens, you can find New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), Narrowleaf Ironweed (Vernonia lettermanii) and Sandhill Ironweed (Vernonia angustifolia).
The main differences between the three species of Ironweed we carry are as follows: Narrowleaf Ironweed gets between 24-36” tall and wide, and prefers drier to average soils.
Sandhill Ironweed gets between 2-4’ tall and 2-3’ wide, and refers drier to droughty soils.
Lastly, we have New York Ironweed, which gets between 2-9’ tall and 2-4’ wide. This one prefers moist soils and can even handle standing water!
We’re lucky enough to have a native meadow right behind our Ewing location, allowing us to check out all of these amazing perennials at their peak form. Just look at the Ironweed Ike found—it’s massive!!
Ironweed is a great addition to your perennial garden. As its name suggests, its stems are super strong, making it a great feature plant for the back of a garden that won’t get knocked over by wind.
Medicinally, it’s been used for cramps, aches and pains, and even as a blood cleanse by using the leaves in a tea. And since the stems are so strong, it’s been used as bedding and for basket weaving!
Ironweed is such a gorgeous plant with so much to offer any landscape—don’t miss out on adding it to your garden this season!
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