Yes, and I really like it...just that it's facing an uphill battle here (sad).

Last Saturday: image doesn't pick up the flower colour well but the fasciation (closest central flower spikes) clearly identifies 'Fascination'.

I find it impossible to do this plant justice via a photo

('sunnyborders', I added this plant to my garden because of what I saw in your front yard... gorgeous).

Me too Rouge; the flower has a kind of iridescence.

Veronicastrium Apollo, just starting bloom on 7/8.

I find it difficult to take photos that make it look as nice as it does in the garden. This is one of the plants visible from the kitchen window.

Gorgeous 'Babs'. (I am looking at the pic using my phone but it looks to me that the top spires of your Apollo seems so long...impressive).

Well what beautifully grown specimens. Mine is in too dry a spot and add the drought & high temps - not looking lush like every ones. I must fix that.

I agree photos just don’t do this plant justice. I’ve tried from several different angles and they all turn out crummy!

(Excuse the fried grass backdrop)

My sweet autumn clematis has grabbed ahold of it :(

Actually those are excellent pics GH.

I think the problem in getting good photos is that I try to show the whole plant which can be be close to 6 feet tall and so one must stand (too) far back and thus the delicate flower are minimized.

Thanks rouge, I agree it gets lost with the distance.

I really like the Apollo..having just a single spike.

I'm totally thrilled about this many posts on a native plant (lol).

I really like the Apollo..having just a single spike.

Oh, I didnt realize that GH! I need to get me an "Apollo".

Me too :0)

How does this plant perform in part sun. I figure the area I would want this Fascination planted gets about 5 hours of light

5 hours would be plenty I’m sure.

My white ones are in part sun. My largest one barely gets an sun, thanks to my weeping Redbud trying to swallow it up..I’ve had to ‘pull it out’ several times. It will be moved in the spring.

I planted this last year. It was in the nursery section with other CR but un-labelled.

Here it is as of now.

Are there any reasons to think it is not some variety of veronicastrum?

Only that it is a ‘clump’ vs singles?

(What you are seeing GH is one plant...about 18" or so tall).

That’s what I mean. Mine seem to grow from single stems not clumped. My white ones might not, I’ll have to look when I get home tonight.

I wish mine grew clumps...envious :)

(As I recall I choose it even unlabelled because it appeared quite healthy and vigorous in it's plastic pot.)

I love this plant. It just showed up in my garden, and once I identified it, I just had to keep it. They are very long lived, mine has been with me many years. I have moved it around a couple times, and it is now growing near the Monarda fistulosa, New England Aster, and Obediant Plant. After seeing gardenho's picture I'm considering moving it next to my Phlox paniculata. These nativars some of you have are quite beautiful. It would be great having all these varieties grouped together.

UPDATE (July 2019):

With lots of recent rain this one plant has splayed lots.

What I notice this season is the far fewer numbers of bees and other pollinators on this plant then has been the case in past years...not a good sign.

Here’s what I think is the sibiricum version just now starting to bloom at the end of July. It’s a bit shorter then the native. and hasn’t seemed to wilt under the heat like the native

@rouge: I hadn't thought about it, but you're right I haven't noticed anything on the spikes this year despite being very popular last.

It might just be that with all the abundant rains, the bees had more things to their liking to visit this year, and were feeding elsewhere. I haven't noticed any overall decline in pollinators this year. I was amazed how early the jewelweed started blooming this year. Maybe at a smorgasbord Culver's roots arn't at the top of the list? The clovers were blooming early too?

I’ve definitely noticed a decline here too...hoping it’s just from the wacky weather.

Here are mine this year.. The first one a little past its prime....

This is such a timely resurrection of this post -- I have been debating picking up some culver's root that I saw locally. This post might tip me over the edge. I really should wait until I'm sure I have room for it, though :0)

Don't wait...it'll be gone...must buy NOW! Plant hoarders R US!

^^^ You got that right! LOL

Me too

meet you “there”!

GardenHo, your CR shown in your pictures are gorgeous.

Rouge thank you!

Still trying to find the right spot for mine.

Like the delphiniums too, north53.

I planted 3 of the Fascination earlier this summer and with all the rain they definitely got enough water but I'm wondering if it was too much water? I know these plants can take moisture but they seem to be yellowing then turning brown. I just pulled one and put it on a pot to baby it back to health (I hope). The root systems seem fine but not the leaves. Maybe not getting enough sun; they are in part shade.

Thanks sunnyborders. The tallest delphiniums promptly blew over in a storm. I’ve decided to shovel prune them. I didn’t even like how they towered over everything. The shorter ones seem much sturdier and fit in better with the rest of the bed.

I just read the comments about missing pollinators - they might have all been at my house, when the Culvers Root, Clethra acuminata and C. alnifolia, and Joe Pye Weed were all blooming at the same time. It was native bee heaven here, and I just stood and watched for the longest time.

DC, not sure why it's happening. Reference below mentions growing conditions for the species, Veronicastrum virginicum. I've taken it to cover the cultivars which I have also grown. Leaves turning yellowish green in bright sunlight or during a drought is mentioned. All of my Culver's roots are in full sun and I take their leaves, still drooping in the evening, as an indicator that watering is needed. As you imply, I wouldn't take the yellowing as indicating too much rain.

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/culverx.htm

Thanks sunnyborders, I can't figure it out. The soil where I removed the 1 is definitely moist but not soggy and we amended the entire bed with compost to a depth of about 3 inches before planting anything. Below that is pure clay. Can't be helped, that's my entire area. I don't think the plant is going to make a comeback. The leaves all turned brown and crispy so I cut the stem down to almost soil level last night. I think I will move the remaining 2 this weekend. The one seems fine with leaves similarly dying but it also has new growth so I think that will be ok. The 3rd one is also going yellowish then brown so hopefully it will not die if we move it to a sunnier locale.

Correction-the ones I planted are Apollo.

DC, interesting information. Most of the mixed perennial gardens which I've prepared and planted have been on soil with heavy clay close to the surface. Personally I go down about a foot with organic matter. I also break up the surface of the clay immediately below the prepared bed to avoid creating a sump effect. You did mention there'd been a lot of rain.

sunnyborders - we usually do that, as well. Maybe not a foot, 8-10 inches but we do try to break the clay up to give the roots a fighting chance. This bed was newly created and quite large (30 x 10 at its widest) so to be honest I couldn't afford to amend down much further as at the time I was unemployed. Otherwise I would have just created a berm of compost and top soil about 6 inches deep. All of the other plants in the bed are newly planted as well and seem to be doing fine even with all the rain so maybe this veronicastrum was just destined to die. :( Unfortunately more rain is forecast; this fall is supposed to be quite wet. It's like in late 2017 someone flipped the climate change switch to fast forward and we have been getting slammed with heavy rains and higher than normal heat/humidity. I feel like I live in a rain forest in Southeast Pa!

Ugh you guys got to me! I bought one yesterday, cultivar is "Adoration". It's a lovely lilac color. I think I'm going to plant it way out in the vegetable garden, for now at least, because I'm not quite sure where to put a 6-footer close to the house.

In my opinion it's slender enough to fit w/o looking like a dense clump waiting to fall over everything.

Yea - but 6 foot is 6 foot... One of the things I love about my house is the fantastic air circulation throughout the house with all the windows -- too tall and that will start being affected.

mxk3, I am glad you made the purchase but as dbarron alluded to, it would be fine close to the foundation. After all it is a perennial, not a woody shrub!

Unless you had 20 stems, I can't see them impeding air flow in any significant way.

DC, 8 to 10 inches sounds good (as per perennial gardening courses I formerly took from David Tomlinson, at Merlin's Hollow).; think I'm a bit of a perfectionist; so why don't I try for 2 foot!

Sympathies about the rain; too much of a (really) good thing.

I ended up finding a spot for it near the corner of the house where the tallness won't impede air flow nor my view out the window. Only problem is is it's a part-shade location -- can this plant do ok in part-shade? I am planning on getting the tree that is in close proximity limbed up in the late winter, so that will open things up more as far as the south sun goes.

I'd say half sun is ideal (at least in my zone).