Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants
A comprehensive database of Tennessee native plants
New York Ironweed
New York IronweedVernonia noveboracensisFull sun, wet to medium moisture level, prefers rich but tolerates most soils except rocky, prefers slightly acidic pH but is pH adaptable. 4-6 feet height (up to 8 feet), blooms late summer into fall, purple flowers, self-seeds at a moderate rate.Germination Code: C(90) Germination is usually low so sow seed thickly.Native Region: Lightly in Middle and East TennesseeA low-maintenance plant with showy flowers. Typically has more flowers per head than Tall Ironweed. Easy to grow. Tolerates clay soil, alkaline pH and some drought. Attracts butterflies, bees and birds.flower;sun;wet;clay |
 Photo Courtesy of Prairie Moon Nursery http://www.prairiemoon.com/ |
Tennessee Smart Yards Native Plants 
About 8 years ago a friend gave me a single New York Ironweed plant. Today I probably have 50 and would probably have more if I didn’t kill off some of them. It is easily 6 feet tall, and the bees sure do love it. It is a tad more aggressive than I would like and spreads fairly long distances pretty easily. I have heavy clay and it doesn’t seem to notice. Also it goes through droughts just fine and I never water it.