Vernonia Species, New York Ironweed, Vein-Leaf Hawkweed

On Sep 14, 2020, 4wolf43 from Princess Anne, MD wrote:

I had been seeing this plant growing along the road side where there is a small gutter or ditch. It was about half a mile from my house in the country. I was wishing it to be closer and I think it was last year it is on my property where I can see it from my yard. They are more like 3 to 4 feet tall. They are very pretty. I am in Somerset County on the Delmarva Peninsula in Maryland, Zone 7.

On Jun 9, 2010, Mike105 from montreal,
Canada wrote:

Seeded this plant this winter and have some nice seedlings which will be planted shortly, need the right location. This is a wonderful looking plant and look forward to see how it will do in my garden in Canada.

On Jun 20, 2009, jneff143 from (Zone 5b) wrote:

I've seen these often in cow pastures in NE Ohio where we live. I've also seen them along the road, usually always these sightings are in deep summer. I know that the flowers dry pretty - well, actually, if you cut the flowers & bring them in the house the flowers stay pretty for a LONG time. Technically, I haven't ever dried them, but you probably could. It's such a beautiful deep purple color. The stems are impossible to break off, you almost need pruners although scissors would probably work. You would DEFINITELY want to plant this flower @ the back of your bed because the rest of the plant is just a stem & leaves all the way @ the base; also, it's pretty tall (i think about 3 feet, but i guess it depends on how much water it gets?)

On Aug 10, 2005, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:

These plants grace the damp road ditches and meadow edges every fall here in west KY. They make a welcome splash of color just when things are starting to look tired.

Found in NH and NY, south to FL, west to AL, and north to KY and WV.

Once used by the Pioneers to treat stomach ailments.

On Aug 14, 2001, gardendragon from Ladysmith, BC (Zone 8a) wrote:

Pruning: Deadheading plants before seed set can reduce prolific seeding, which may occur particularly in moist areas. First year seedlings may be desirable, though, as they are interesting, usually short 12 to 14 inches high plants with intense purple flowers and may be more attractive than the parent plant. When grown in rich moist soil, plants can tower to 9 feet tall, too large for many perennial gardens. Plants respond to a variety of pruning methods, to reduce their height, to create fuller plants, to stagger bloom time, or to layer plantings. One such method is to cut the plants down to the ground when they reach 2 feet tall, another is to cut plants back by 1 or 2 ft when they are 3-4 ft tall.
Interesting native plant that prefers moist, slightly acidic conditions. The... read more moister the soil the taller the plant may be.