Sneezeweed

Questions about sneezeweed

Does sneezeweed need sun or shade?

Sneezeweed grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants soil that stays evenly moist, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. It copes with soil that stays wet.

What zones does sneezeweed 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 sneezeweed flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early August to late September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.

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 sneezeweed be planted?

24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many sneezeweed plants do I need?

At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own

In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.

In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.

Is sneezeweed poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten in quantity, especially to grazing animals, and the sap can irritate skin.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like sneezeweed?

These come closest to doing what sneezeweed does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Garden phlox 'Jeana': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid July to mid September, pink, not yellow.
• Brown-eyed Susan: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 6 in narrower, wants average soil.
• False sunflower: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late June to early September, wants average soil.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat sneezeweed?

Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.

What flowers after sneezeweed?

Sneezeweed is over by late September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Aromatic aster 'Raydon's Favorite': from mid September to early November, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• Chrysanthemum 'Sheffield Pink': from late September to early November, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
• October daphne: from mid September to late October, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.

What does sneezeweed look like in winter?

Sneezeweed dies down, but leave the stems standing: the seed heads stand through the winter, and songbirds eat the seed. Cut them down in early spring, before the new shoots come.

Is sneezeweed good for bees and butterflies?

Sneezeweed is visited by pollinators, butterflies and songbirds.

It is native to the United States and Canada.