Cup Plant

If you're interested in hosting a butterfly tea party, the Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) earns its name for its unique stem and leaf structure that collects and pools water at the base of leaves. These pools of water become the perfect pitstop for butterflies, birds, and other small species looking for hydration.

You'll also love this hearty plant for its vivid yellow, clustered blooms. This wildflower brings your garden to life with simple, yet elegant flowers. This wildflower will dazzle your garden visitors with bright, bold blooms and its towering stalk.

This bold perennial grows rapidly in full sun and gives you an extended season of bloom all through summer and fall. New to gardening? This is a sturdy plant, which is great for experienced and inexperienced gardeners.

The native wildflower can steal the show in a butterfly garden. Or you could plant it along the edge of a wooded area on your property. The impressive size of the Cup Plant makes it great for open fields. And its moisture tolerance makes areas along streams, banks, and wetlands ideal.

Wherever the Cup Plant ends up in your garden, make sure you keep a chair and binoculars handy because this robust flower attracts thirsty birds, like Goldfinches and Hummingbirds, who love the seeds of the Cup Plant. Other birds appreciate the dense cover and shade this plant's foliage provides.

This plant will self-seed in Spring, so plan to deadhead the wilting flowers. This will spur the Cup Plant to produce new incredible buds, rather than focus on producing seeds.

This hearty native grows well without a lot of fuss. And in some regions, this native plant actually grows a little "too well." Don't worry, though, LetsPlantify.com uses Plant Sentry™ to abide by all local, state and federal regulations for plants that can become invasive.