Description
Scientific Name: Scrophulara marilandica
Range: Includes Lower Michigan, Northern Wisconsin
Light: Full sun, partial shade
Moisture: Medium, moist, medium dry
Benefits: Hummingbirds, Pollinators, Deer Resistant
Height: 6′
Blooms: July-October
Zones: 4-8
Color: Green, brownish-red flowers
Spacing: 2-3′
Root: Rhizome
Of the thousands of plants native to North America, only a few hundred are deemed sufficiently attractive to enter the garden trade. Figworts typically don’t make the cut. But if you were a hummingbird or a pollinator, they would top your list. The tiny flowers, born aloft on green stems, are quite literally filled with nectar. In the 19th century, beekeepers claimed that bees foraging on an acre of figwort would make up to 800 pounds of honey.
They are easy to grow, and while they won’t win any flower shows, their abundant foliage can fill a big, lonely spot in the back of the garden. In the absence of showy flowers, take pleasure in the beneficial insects and hummers that will flock to your figwort.
