This great northeast native is one of those plants that can blend into the background at times. Sure, its foliage is very nice with deep, dark green elliptical leaves that form a dense, upright, rounded bush, but it really doesn’t stand out until late summer when buds start to form at the base of the top leaves on each stem. These buds open in late August and continue throughout September showing off deep blue-violet flowers that are considerable enough to make this plant’s upright stems begin to weep over from the bloom weight. It’s a great show from a plant that is very easy to grow and very tolerant, thriving in moist to wet soils and shadier areas and providing outstanding garden cover for critters, especially when planted in groups.