Use these tips to grow cup plant , a marvellous native perennial that attracts skirt and pollinators .
Cup plant is a native prairie perennial with a big front in the landscape painting . It grow up to 9 foot tall and is topped with yellow , daisy - comparable peak for weeks in summer . Cup plant(Silphium perfoliatum)received its common name from the means its leaves wrap around the stems to mold tiny reservoirs — or cups — that halt rainwater . Songbirds are attract to the waterand feast on cup plant life seed . humblebee and honeybees use parts of the works for nesting , and several pollinator visit cupful plants for pollen and nectar .
Where to Plant Cup Plant
Cup plant is at home in aprairie gardenormeadow plantingwith rich , well - drain soil . Plant it alongside other North American prairie industrial plant , such as little blue stem , bountiful bluestem , coneflower , and monarda , to create an ever - switch wildlife oasis .
blank is an important condition . reckoning on this long - dwell perennial to grow 6 to 9 invertebrate foot magniloquent and 1 to 3 foot wide . It has a real presence in the garden and is intimately set at the back of a landscape delimitation , where it allow for bold structure . cupful plant is also an splendid accession to a naturalised or low - sustainment landscape painting domain .
Cup plant spread out quickly by germ . In manicure garden options , be prepared to pull out unwanted seedlings . Seedlings are often welcome in prairie gardens and meadows .
Credit: Rob Cardillo
If you would wish to purchase a cup plant , look for it in the native plant subdivision of your local garden center . Companies specializing in aboriginal seeds also carry it .
How and When to Plant Cup Plant
descent is the practiced time to plant cupful plant from seed . Scatter the cum on a inclined bed and press them lightly into the soil . Cover the entire come bed with a sluttish covering of straw , and irrigate the bed . The seeds can also be sown in spring , but they expect atwo - month period of cold stratificationbefore being sow . Mark the emplacement so you ’ll be able to easy notice the emerging seedlings .
Plant cup flora baby’s room begin in early spring at the same astuteness as they grow in the greenhouse pots . blank space plants at least 1 foot apart .
pee new seedling and transplantation on a regular basis during the first growing time of year to boost strong root development . spread out a 2 - column inch - thicklayer of mulchover the root geographical zone to prevent filth wet evaporation and keep weeds at bay laurel .
Credit: John Reed Forsman
Cup Plant Care Tips
Cup plant is a low - maintenance industrial plant that flourishes when its basic needs are met .
Light
Cup plantgrows best in full sun — at least 8 60 minutes of direct sunshine a day . Native to North American prairie , cup flora thrives in planting smirch with all - day sun . It digest a few hours of shade and is known to grow at the prairie edge , near woodlands , in its native habitat .
Soil and Water
Cup plant tolerate both dry ground and clay , but it grows best inwell - drained soilthat is productive in nutrients . Crumbly , dark brown loamis perfect tense for growing cup plant , but this tough perennial survives and even prosper in many types of soil . The industrial plant adapt to awide soil pH rangefrom acidulous to alkaline ( 4.5 to 7.5 ) .
Temperature and Humidity
warmth and humidity do n’t discommode cup plant . This prairie works thrives in in high spirits humidity and temperatures up to 100 ° F . It tolerates temperatures as low as 15 ° atomic number 9 in winter . As an herbaceous perennial , it perish back to ground level in belated fall , but the dormant roots send up new shoots after a meek or harsh winter .
Fertilizer
Cup works doesn‘t involve fertilizer . Boost the food in the plant ’s root zone and amend soil social system byspreading a 2 - column inch - thick layer of compostaround the industrial plant annually in spring . The compost will break down and move into the soil visibility , adding nutrients and improve grain .
Pruning
This perennial requires no pruning . If desired , reseeding can be limited by prune off spend bloom blossoms as presently as they blow over . bump off the flower blossoms eliminates the potential for the plant to produce cum .
Pests and Problems
Cup plant has no notable pests , but it reseed aggressivelyunless it is deadheaded . Seedlings are ordinarily easygoing to commit out of the footing when they are young . Established plant have an panoptic , unchewable root arrangement and are more ambitious to eradicate . hit unwanted seedlings as soon as possible .
How to Propagate Cup Plant
The easiest path to manifold cup plant is to transplant seedlings from the original plant . Dig up immature seedlings as soon as you observe them , and graft them to a desired locating . weewee the transplants on a regular basis for a few weeks to encourage them to develop robust stem systems .
you may also multiply cup works by gather seeded player after they mature in late summer . Store the seeds in a ironic , cool location . Plant them in the declination or refrigerate them for two months of cold social stratification , and inseminate the seeds in the garden in early spring . constrict the seeds a short ¼ inch into the soil and water softly . seedling emerge within a few weeks .
Types of Cup Plant
The speciesSilphium perfoliatumis the wide available cupful flower ; it is aboriginal to the central and southern U.S. United States Department of State . The only have it away variety isSilphium perfoliatumvar.connatum , which has haired stems . It is relatively rare and see only in the great deal and the Piedmont neighborhood of Virginia , West Virginia , and North Carolina .
Cup Plant Companion Plants
Mix loving cup plants withother prairie nativesto create a fat tapestry of color and grain that beckons wildlife .
Little Bluestem
Little bluestem(Schizachyrium scoparium)is an easy - care ornamental dope that‘s beautiful in the fall when its blue - green farewell twist from rusting to wine red . Birds , insects , and low animals use short bluestem for intellectual nourishment and shelter . Clumps grow only 1–2 foot high , but flowering stems reach 5 feet . Zones 3–9
Big Bluestem
bountiful bluestem(Andropogon gerardii)is a warm - season grass , and most of its growing occurs during the warm summertime months . However , this grass exhibit an attractive fall gloss and stick out marvellous — up to 8 feet — through winter with its germ chief moving in the wind . Zones 4 - 9
Coneflowers
Coneflowersare native perennials that acquire magnanimous blooms from summertime to devolve . royal coneflower(Echinacea purpurea)blooms have a brown center with pinkish - purple petal , but other type are available in orangish , jaundiced , and flushed shades . Most varieties originate to 4 ft tall . Zones 3–9
Joe-Pye Weed
Joe - Pye weed(Eutrochium purpureum)is a native wildflower with inscrutable green foliage and aery regal efflorescence that add texture to a garden or act as a background for pocket-sized plants . It bloom in recent summertime and is popular with butterflies and other pollinators . It grows to 8 feet grandiloquent and wide . Zones 3 - 10
Goldenrod
Goldenrod(Solidagospp . ) displays its lily-livered peak beginning in late summer and continuing into twilight . Some varieties feature turgid flower clusters at the elevation of tall stems ; others boast gracefully arching stems holding single rows of blossoms . It grows to 3 feet tall and wide . Zones 4 - 8
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes , cup plant brook rain garden well , provide it is planted near thebanks of the rain garden . It does not grow well in boggy soil , but it will maturate in soil that is on occasion blotto for short full stop .
Cup plant is a perennial that lives for many years . plant reseed freely and often rise in heavy colonies , ply colouring and social system in the prairie or garden for decennary .
As a industrial plant that is native to North America , it is by definition not invading , but it does overspread by semen . If you need to contain it , take out the spent flowers before they turn into source .
Credit: Ian Adams
Credit: Bob Stefko
Credit: Jay Wilde
Credit: Scott Little
