Physostegia anyone?
By Celiamaud
Cumbria,
United Kingdom 
A friend gave us this plant but we lost the label. He eventually told us the name: physostegia virginium rosea. Aka 'Obedient plant.' So I looked it up on the Internet and found photos of it. (Also a nursery offering it at over £7 per plant!) However, the flowers on the plants shown don't much resemble the very small, quite unimpressive flowers on ours. Anyone else grow it and can tell me if my information is correct?
10 Oct, 2012
Answers
Thanks, Anchorman. Yes, how easy it is to be fooled by photos shown by nurserymen trying to convince us a plant is a must-have! And sometimes we're disappointed by what we actually get. But I have to admit that the particular specimens of physostegia we got had been in pots rather too long, and what's more, we got them rather late in the season. So I'll divide them when they finish flowering and see how they do next year.
10 Oct, 2012
The 'obedient' bit refers to the flowers, not the roots. If planted in soil, they will run quite happily
10 Oct, 2012
They should improve a bit next year CeliaMaud but oner of my customer's has some well established ones and although they're OK I think there are far prettier alternatives
10 Oct, 2012
Yes its quite a modest plant, not showy, so yours is normal. An OK plant but as you say , not a Must Have plant.
11 Oct, 2012
with all the wet mine have grown to over 5ft this year. They have done a good job but I wouldnt rush out to buy it again. it does tend to run but I have found it easy to pull up. the seed heads are quite pretty, they go the colour of ripe corn, in fact the seed head looks a bit like it.
11 Oct, 2012
Mine are in large tubs, I found they need lots of water to grow tall and look really pretty and they flower for ages. They bend right down to the ground in shade but in full sun with plenty of water they stay upright. They bend to left or right and will stay in that position hence obedient.
11 Oct, 2012
A 5 foot physostegia!
Mine have never grown above 3 foot.
11 Oct, 2012
I spose it depends on the location. Mine are in the borders are all range from 4 - 6'. depending on light levels. Even my chelone are all about 4 - 5' tall, but then everything grows taller here. It has even grown taller this year due to the low light caused by cloud.
13 Oct, 2012
Interesting variety of Comments re phystostegia! Thanks. Will maybe keep a couple for next year.
22 Oct, 2012
Previous question
« Once again ID, please... In my daughter-in-law's new garden near Edinburgh....
Next question
Yours is definitely physostegia. I can't say I'm over impressed with them either.
Often the photographs on websites are super close ups which can give a false impression of the plant itself.
I took this one of a simple buttercup which makes it look lots bigger and showier than reality
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/168532177/!
10 Oct, 2012