Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum)

Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum)

Shrubby St. John's Wort is one of the few Wisconsin natives that brings the structure of a small shrub along with the long bloom period of a wildflower. From midsummer into early fall, it becomes covered in bright yellow flowers with a burst of showy golden stamens at their center. The blooms seem to glow against the fine blue-green foliage, creating a cheerful splash of color during the hottest part of the gardening season.

Its compact, rounded form looks tidy without pruning, making it equally at home in formal garden beds, front hedging or more wild prairie style plantings. Once established, it is remarkably adaptable and drought tolerant, providing reliable color year after year with very little maintenance, it's also quite deer and rabbit resistant. It's rare/endangered in southeastern Wisconsin making it an important plant to have!

Growing Conditions
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Dry to medium; adaptable to sandy, rocky, clay, and average garden soils
Height: 2–4 feet
Spread: 2–4 feet
Zones: 3–8
Bloom time: July through September

Wildlife Value
Shrubby St. John's Wort provides pollen for a wide variety of native bees, including bumble bees and specialist pollen-collecting bees that rely on plants in the Hypericum genus. The dense branching structure also offers shelter and nesting opportunities for beneficial insects and small wildlife.

Blooms Alongside: wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), dense blazing star (liatris spicata), stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigidum), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), hoary vervain (verbena stricta)

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