Verbesina virginica – Frostweed – 1-Quart

Like its relative, Wingstem or Golden Honey Plant (V. alternifolia), Frostweed is highly attractive to bees and other pollinators. It shares with its relative a tall, rangy, coarse habit and flowers that are not overly showy despite their popularity with pollinators. So plant Frostweed in more wild places rather than a formal perennial border near the house. The flowers are white in color, making them somewhat unusual for a late Summer blooming Composite, most of which are yellow. The common name Frostweed does not derive from the white flower color, but from the plant’s peculiar habit of exuding water from the stems during freezes, forming all sorts of bizarre ice shapes. Also known as White Crownbeard.