Eryngium yuccifolium – Rattlesnake Master

Fascinating form is Rattlesnake Master’s main claim to fame, but it has a number of other attributes that make it a garden worthy plant. The flowering heads attract many kinds of insects, including bees, butterflies and moths. The very pale blue to white flowers combine well with other more colorful plants. While it appears to be closely related to Yuccas – indeed its specific epithet means “having leaves similar to a Yucca” – it’s not; instead it’s in the carrot family – related to other umbellifers like Angelica and Zizia. And so it’s not as drought tolerant as a Yucca and indeed prefers the moist soil characteristic of its high quality prairie origins. Deer-resistant and rarely bothered by pests or diseases. The main plant dies back after flowering but offsets are formed and the plant is reliably perennial.