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Obedient Plant
Physostegia
Also comes in white.
Obedient Plant blooms from August through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Obedient Plant
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–9. Expect it to reach about 3.5 ft tall and 1.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Obedient Plant. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What this means
Written with AI assistance and not yet checked plant by plant against recorded sources, so treat every fact above as a starting point. Its scientific name was checked against botanical registries, an audit keeps its values consistent with the rest of the library, and a July 2026 review re-read the main facts of every plant then in the library against horticultural authorities without recording a source for each, which is why none of that counts as checked here. The source-by-source check is working through the whole library in the open, and a checked plant says so in this row.
When to plant Obedient Plant
Plant Obedient Plant in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from August to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Obedient Plant get?
3.5 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult1.5 ftwideSee Obedient Plant in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Obedient Plant
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Obedient Plant about 1.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Obedient Plant to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Good to know about Obedient Plant
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Push a single flower left or right on its stem and it temporarily stays put in the new spot, as if hinged. That is the obedient part. per NC State
Species or compact nativar?
Extensions split: some call the straight species a fine native if you divide and contain it; a Wisconsin source will not recommend it, steering you to compact nativars instead. per NC State and Wisconsin
Spreads fast by rhizomes
Like many mints, it runs by underground rhizomes and self-seeding into dense colonies. Roots are shallow, so unwanted shoots pull easily; divide every one to two years. per NC State
Late-season pollinator magnet
Its tubular flowers feed bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, and its August-to-frost bloom fills a late-summer forage gap when little else is flowering. per NC State
Deer generally pass it by
Deer generally pass it by. NC State lists it resistant and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center rates its deer resistance high, so it rarely needs protection. per NC State and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Flops in rich soil
Stems flop and may need staking in rich soil, deep shade, or hot summers. Full sun and leaner soil keep them sturdy, which also slows the spread. per NC State
What pairs well with Obedient Plant
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Snow-in-Summer
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; low at 6 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Arborvitae
Shares full sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 20 ft, for the layer behind it; both are North American natives.
Japanese Stewartia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; taller at 16 ft, for the layer behind it; its white flowers settle the pink.
Colorado Blue Spruce
Shares full sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; both are North American natives.
Gardenia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; blooms in late spring, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; its white flowers settle the pink; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Bee Balm
Shares full sun and moderate water; opens in midsummer and overlaps into this one's season; both are North American natives; red sits close to pink on the wheel.
Queen of the Prairie
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; both are North American natives; echoes the pink.
Blue Oat Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in early summer, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 2.5 ft, for the front of the border; this one spreads, so it will crowd its neighbor in time.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.