plants can tower to 9 ft. tall, too large
for many perennial gardens. Plants
respond to a variety of pruning
methods to reduce their height, to
create fuller plants, to stagger bloom
time, or to layer plantings. One such
method is to cut the plants down to the
ground when they reach 2 ft. tall.
Another is to cut plants back by 1 or 2
ft. when they are 3–4 ft. tall. Plants cut
back by 1 ft. won’t be that much
reduced in height, but they will flower
about 1 week later than unpruned
plants. Plants cut back by 2 ft. may
have about a 3-week delay in bloom
and will flower nicely at 2–2 1/2 ft.
rather than 4–4 1/2 ft.
other maintenance Interesting
native plant that prefers moist, slightly
acidic conditions. The moister the soil,
the taller the plants may be. Pruning to
reduce seeding and size may be
desirable in most perennial gardens.
related plantS Vernonia fascicu-
lata has a 4-ft. mature height and may
be more manageable than V. novebora-
censis for most garden settings.
Vernonia noveboracensis