Care for Obedience Plant
The obedience plant, also known as Physostegia virginiana or false dragonhead, is a flowering perennial plant that is a member of the mint family. Boasting dark green leaves and erect stems topped with colorful flower spikes in varying shades of pink, the obedience plant makes an attractive addition to gardens or home landscapes in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9. As low-maintenance as it is beautiful, the obedience plant can be grown successfully with very little effort. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Obedience plant
- Shovel
- Spade
- Loam
- Coarse builder's sand
- Garden hose or watering can
- 10-10-10 fertilizer
- Pruning shears
- Bark chips or wood pieces
Instructions
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Plant your obedience plant in a full-sun location that receives six to eight hours of sunlight per day. Choose a planting location for your obedience plant that offers rich, sandy and well-draining soil. Amend poor soils with equal parts loam and coarse builder's sand to make them suitable for your obedience plant; till the amendments into the top 12 inches of soil until it is distributed throughout.
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Water your obedience plant as often as necessary to keep its soil continuously moist. The soil should feel moist to the touch, but never soggy. Check the soil moisture periodically to determine if you are over-watering your obedience plant. Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it; if you are able to wring excess water from the soil, you should reduce the frequency of watering. Avoid watering your obedience plant in the winter, when it is dormant.
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Fertilize your obedience plant monthly during the spring, summer and fall. Refrain from fertilizing your obedience plant in the winter, when it is dormant. Use a water-soluble 10-10-10 fertilizer to provide your obedience plant with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Follow the application directions on the fertilizer packaging for best results.
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Prune your obedience plant in the early summer to control its size and shape, as well as promote vigorous growth. Pinch spent blossoms from your obedience plant to encourage your plant to produce additional blossoms. Trim the tallest obedience plant stems by 3 to 4 inches to encourage your plant to form additional branches. Use only sharpened and sterilized pruning shears when pruning your obedience plant.
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Spread 4 inches of bark chips or wood pieces over the surface of the soil around your obedience plant in the late fall to help protect the roots of your plant from cold winter temperatures. Remove the bark chips or wood pieces from the surface of the soil in the in early spring, before new growth is observed.
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Tips & Warnings
The obedience plant is considered "deer-resistant," which means deer don't especially enjoy the taste of its foliage or flowers.
The obedience plant's vigorous growth can be characterized as overly aggressive. Consider planting your obedience plant in a bordered flower bed to prevent it from taking over your lawn or garden.
