For Your Garden - June 2013

Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year. Consider adding a few native plant species to your garden soon!

Culver's-root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

Photo © Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Culver's-root grows throughout Illinois in prairies and woodlands. It is sometimes called the candelabra plant for its spikes of white flowers that are arranged somewhat like a candelabrum. Flowers are produced from June through September. This member of the snapdragon family may grow to a height of five feet. The leaves are in whorls, and the whorls are fairly far apart on the stem. Each leaf may be six inches long and one inch wide.

Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.

Illinois Range

Native Plant Information

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For more information about native Illinois plants, including where to purchase them and planting guides, view the following publications at our publications page. You can access more information on the Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant page, too.