Queen of the prairie
Filipendula rubra 'Venusta' ·
Huge, frothy plumes of peach-blossom pink, like candy floss, on stems above head height in midsummer. A native of wet prairies that spreads into a stand.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late June to late July
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around queen of the prairie
The planner designed this bed around queen of the prairie when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why queen of the prairie stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Queen of the prairie × 1, pink
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 16, yellow
- 3 Winter heath × 7, white
- 4 Gloriosa daisy 'Indian Summer' × 5, yellow
- 5 Garden phlox 'David' × 3, white
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Camassia × 2, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only plumes. The others are daisies, bells, dense clusters and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only pink.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to gloriosa daisy 'Indian Summer' (3 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late June to late July.
- Fills a gap. For one of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Queen of the prairie and garden phlox 'David' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' is planted in four places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where queen of the prairie goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
One of the tallest perennials that needs no staking. It spreads steadily, which suits a big, moist planting with Joe Pye weed and grasses; in a small bed it needs dividing.
- Height and drama at the back of a moist border
- Rain gardens and pond sides
- Native wet meadows
What to plant with queen of the prairie
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Joe Pye weed 'Gateway': happy in the same moist soil.
- Swamp milkweed: in flower together for four weeks, from early July; medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster': in flower together for five weeks, from late June; fine leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about queen of the prairie
Does queen of the prairie need sun or shade?
Queen of the prairie grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does queen of the prairie grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does queen of the prairie flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to late July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 3 | Early July to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early July to early August |
| Zone 5 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 6 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 7 | Late June to mid July |
| Zone 8 | Late June to mid July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should queen of the prairie be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many queen of the prairie plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is there a native plant like queen of the prairie?
Queen of the prairie is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Sweet Joe Pye weed: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late July to early September.
- Hardy hibiscus: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in shorter, flowers late July to mid September.
- New York ironweed: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower, flowers early August to mid September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Will queen of the prairie spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by underground runners and can crowd its neighbours. Dig out the edges or divide every 2 to 3 years.
What flowers after queen of the prairie?
Queen of the prairie is over by late July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Joe Pye weed 'Gateway': from late July to mid September, 6 ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Hardy hibiscus: from late July to mid September, 5 ft tall.
- Tiger lily: from late July to late August, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does queen of the prairie look like in winter?
Queen of the prairie dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Filipendula
- Double dropwort Filipendula vulgaris 'Multiplex'
- Dwarf meadowsweet 'Kahome' Filipendula 'Kahome'
- Japanese meadowsweet Filipendula purpurea
- Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late June to late July; feathery plumes; pink
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
Checked against VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.