Description
Scientific name: Silphium laciniatum
Range: Native and rare in the southeastern Upper Peninsula
Light: Full, partial
Soil: Loam, sand, clay
Moisture: Medium to dry
Benefits: Pollinators, Birds, Butterflies, deer resistant
Height: 6-7′
Blooms: June-Sept.
Color: Yellow
Spacing: 3-4′
Root: Taproot
Another spectacular member of the towering Silphium family that once dotted America’s prairies! Compass plant makes a stunning statement in the back border, with its flower-decked stems reaching up to eight feet above its deeply cut leaves. Unlike cup plant, it does not reseed overly freely, so you won’t have to think about pulling baby compass plants out of your veggie garden. As with the rest of its kin, compass plant is beloved by pollinators. In the fall, finches go crazy for its seeds.
