How to Grow and Care for Dropwort Plant

 

Another name for this plant is meadowsweet, Filipendula, queen-of-the-meadow dropwort, queen-of-the-prairie. The dropwort plants in the garden are always welcome. The species of the plant are found all over the world and when you actually look up the dropwort meadowsweet info, you will find that each of the many common names refers to a different species of the same genus. Continue reading to learn more about the dropwort plant.

 

Dropwort Plant Info

Actually for centuries people have learned how to grow the dropwort plants for medicinal purposes. An infusion of the dropwort tea was used to treat minor pain and headache and in 1839 a lot of scientists discovered what herbalists had known all along. It really worked. Salicylic acid, aspirin to we layfolk, was first extracted from the flowers of Filipendula ulmaria, queen-of-the-meadow, way back then. Maybe it is the name, but you rarely read about the dropwort plants in the garden anymore and yet they make such a beautiful and easy care addition. The dropwort meadowsweet info is often found under the Latin Filipendula. The dropwort/meadowsweet is actually a member of the rose family. The plant grows in spreading clumps that usually a reach of about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide and the plant is a hardy perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones three through eight. Though the plant prefers cooler climates, as long as the plant care includes plenty of water, the plant does well in the south too.

 

 How to Grow Dropwort Plants in the Garden

The dropwort plants in the garden do double duty; first for its clusters of tiny flowers that actually range from white to deep pink in early to midsummer and second, for its lovely foliage sported by all species of dropwort. In the garden the long leaves, pinnately decorated with 7 to 9 feathery leaflets, give a fern-like appearance that contrasts nicely and softens the look of some of nature’s plainer and more solid leaves. Due to their height, the plants are usually found in the back or middle ground of the garden bed. There’s nothing extraordinary about how to grow the dropwort plants. The dropwort plant actually likes the sun, although will tolerate some shade and the plant isn’t subject to any pests or diseases except the rare case of powdery mildew and the dreaded Japanese beetle. The dropwort plant does best in slightly alkaline soils, but it will also do fine in average, neutral soils as well. 

 

How to Care for Dropwort Plant

Like most plants the dropwort plant prefers moist, fertile soil, but since there’s nothing fussy about the dropwort plant, the plant care is simple. Water the plant regularly during the transplant season so the plant becomes well established, and then let the rain do most of the work. You can fertilize in the spring when the new growth appears, but don’t get carried away. You’ll want the flowers as well as the foliage. The dropwort plants are moderate growers and definitely not invasive. Once you have one of the plants, you’ll probably want another. The plant propagation is as easy as the plant care. There’s actually not much to it. There are 2 ways to accomplish this. Every 3 or 4 years, you can divide the dropwort plant’s tough roots into 3 or 4 clumps or keep your eye out for self-sown seedlings, which seem to have better success at germinating (and much less fuss) than from store bought seed. Just dig a hole twice as large as the roots of the transplant and then settle the plant to the same depth as you found it. Make sure you backfill with good, rich soil and water regularly. That’s actually all it takes. Whether you call it dropwort, meadowsweet, Filipendula, or any of the other common names by which it is known, everyone should try the dropwort plants. The plant care is actually easy and the results are well worth it.