How to Plant and Grow Culver’s Root
This tall prairie plant attracts butterflies and pollinators with its long flower spikes.
Also known as Bowman's root, Culver's root is a tall, stately plant that bears long spikes of densely clustered flowers for several weeks in midsummer. The white, lavender, or blue blossoms are surrounded by dark-green lance-shaped leaves whorled around the stem. This native plant of North America attracts butterflies and is especially popular with sweat bees, small carpenter bees, bumble bees, and honeybees. Culver's root is a frequent member of prairie plant populations.
Where to Plant Culver’s Root
Select a location in full sun where the soil stays consistently moist. Low spots in your yard where the soil stays moist for extended periods of time are ideal. Culver’s root grows best in soil that is slightly acidic.
The plant’s bold, upright form adds height, structure, and texture to cottage garden designs, casual perennial borders, and native plant gardens. Because Culver’s root grows upright, you can even plant it towards the front of a border to visually enhance the depth. You won’t have to worry about it taking over, as the plant stays in its designated space.
You can create a pocket prairie—an oasis for native birds and insects, using Culver's root and other colorful native plants such as black-eyed Susan or bee balm. Another option is to combine it with easy ornamental grasses that are native to your area.
How and When to Plant Culver’s Root
Because it takes Culver’s root approximately two years to flower, the fastest way to enjoy this native plant in your landscape is to start with a nursery-grown plant. Plant it in the spring after the danger of frost has passed.
Prepare the planting area by amending the soil with organic matter. Dig a hole at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball and place the plant in the hole. Backfill it with original soil and tamp it down. Water thoroughly and regularly until the plant is established.
The mature width of Culver’s root varies. The species can reach up to 4 feet so space plants at least 3 feet apart. Narrower and shorter cultivars can be planted closer together but you should always leave room for the plant to spread to its mature width.
Culver’s Root Care Tips
Like all native plants, Culver’s root is pretty care-free once it is established.
Light
Culver's root grows best in full sun. It tolerates light shade, but too much shade may cause the plant to develop a weak central stem and fall over midseason, so it will need to be staked.
Soil and Water
The plant needs medium to wet, well-drained, and humus-rich soil. While mulching helps to retain soil moisture, the plant still needs to be watered if the soil is not naturally moist.
Culver’s root can grow in a wide pH range but thrives in slightly acidic soil below 6.8.
Temperature and Humidity
As a native prairie plant, Culver’s root is both winter hardy and tolerates high heat and humidity.
Fertilizer
Generally, adding plenty of organic matter to the soil before planting is better than fertilizing the plant but to give it a boost, apply a balanced, granular slow-release fertilizer once in the early spring when new growth starts. For the amount to use, follow fertilizer product label instructions.
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.
Potting and Repotting Culver’s Root
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 well-draining potting mix and water it daily, in hot weather even twice a day, to keep the soil moist.
Pests and Problems
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.
How to Propagate Culver’s Root
The main method of propagating Culver's root is division. In the early spring, dig up the root and divide it into smaller sections. Plant them in new locations at the same depth and water them well until you see new growth. It is not unusual for the plant to take a couple of years or longer to get established and bloom.
Types of Culver's Root
‘Lavender Towers’
This is a cultivar with light lavender-colored flowers. At maturity, it reaches 5 feet in height and 3 feet in width. Zone 3-10
‘Fascination’
Soft pink flowers and foliage with a reddish tinge are the special features of this cultivar. With 3 to 4 feet in height, it is on the shorter side but wide, spreading 2 to 3 feet. Zone 3-8
'Cupid'
A short cultivar that only grows 3 feet tall and spreads 20 inches, the flowers have deeper colors than other varieties. The flowers are dark lavender with blue highlights. Zone 3-9
Culver’s Root Companion Plants
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea, the purple coneflower, is the most commonly found Echinacea species. The big blooms of this native plant are made up of a brownish-orange central cone and a ring of long, slender petals with a pinkish-purple hue radiating out from it. The landscaping options for planting coneflower are almost limitless as long as you plant it in full sun. Zone 3-9
Joe Pye Weed
Large, pink flower clusters grace the tall stems of Joe Pye weed in summer. The blooms have a light vanilla fragrance and attract various pollinators. In the fall, this native perennial produces attractive seed heads, which can last well into winter. The seeds are a food source for American goldfinch, Carolina wren, dark-eyed junco, and tufted titmouse. Zone 4-9
Goldenrod
This native perennial blooms in late summer into fall with bright yellow flowers. Some goldenrod varieties feature large flower clusters held at the tops of tall stems; others boast gracefully arching stems holding single rows of blossoms. Different species of goldenrod come from environments with widely differing soil conditions. These native habitats range from sunny meadows to salty seaside spaces and soggy bogs so do some research to select a variety that fits your site conditions. Zone 4-8
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Culver’s root need staking?
It might be necessary to stake these perennial plants in early summer, especially if they are grown in a partially shaded location, on a hillside, or in a windy location.
What’s the native range of Culver’s root?
The native habitat of the plant is in the eastern United States, primarily in the prairie states along the Mississippi River.
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