Fantastic Design Plant: Discover Queen of the Prairie's Sweet Aroma

Queen of the Prairie is a slowly spreading perennial that likes moisture. Its frothy pink blossom fills the garden with an exquisite cologne for one to two weeks in midsummer. Contemplate Queen of the Prairie in case you’re looking for a colorful and sweet-smelling accession to some rain garden or sensory garden.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Botanical name: Filipendula rubra
Common name: Queen of the Prairie
Origin: Native to the central and eastern Fantastic Plains, the Midwest, the East Coast and New England
Where it will grow: Hardy to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 3 to 8; locate your zone)
Water requirement: Medium to wet clay and loam
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 4 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
Advantages and tolerances: Easy perennial; stabilizes dirt; slowly spreads to form colony; rain garden plant
Seasonal interest: Good two-week blossom period in midsummer, strong and sweet odor, unique flowering
When to plant: Spring to autumn

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Distinguishing traits. Queen of the Prairie has puffy, cotton candy blossoms which are unlike every other flowering perennial. What really makes this plant stand out is that the odor — a very sweet rose scent that is far better than a rose. If you have a clump of this in a corner or near a course, walking by it will fill your senses with a superb fragrance.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

The best way to use it. Plant in the back of a border or as a massed plant. It makes a perfect backdrop for low plants, but also looks fantastic among short grasses. Make sure to also appreciate its fall colour, as noticed previously.

Planting notes. Filipendula requires a constantly moist soil, from wet to moderate (but not dry at any point). It will let you know if it is too dry by turning crispy brown in a hurry, so use it into a rain garden or low area where water will collect for a brief period.

It’ll very slowly spread to form a colony in clay, and will disperse reasonably in loam, so plan accordingly. It’s not overly aggressive, and readily pulls out by hand where you do not want it.

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