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Bushy St. John's Wort

Hypericum densiflorum (hy-PER-ih-kum den-si-FLOR-um)

Family: Hypericaceae Native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Bushy St. John's Wort is a native shrub of the Hypericaceae family growing up to 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It is native to eastern USA and west to Texas and occurs on acidic soils in moist and wet conditions, including streams, ponds, lake banks, seepage slopes, and wet meadows. In NC it can be found in the coastal, Piedmont (rarely) and mountain regions. The clusters of yellow flowers occur in summer and the leaves are 2-3 inch lance-shaped and green. This shrub blooms on new growth and can be pruned in the early spring. Easily grown in average well-drained moist garden soil in full sun to partial shade. Plant in groups, shrub borders, foundations or as a hedge. Works great in a native/pollinator garden or on slopes or rock gardens or rain gardens. It is very adaptable.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 48 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Native Plant; Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 7 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark green, lance-shaped leaves are 2-3" long
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers yellow with 5 petals and multiple stamens giving them a frilly look in dense flat-topped cymes in June to Sept.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Cone-shaped seed capsules split to release seeds
Bark color
Light Brown
Bark detail
Smooth bronze bark
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern U.S.A.
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond; Riparian; Slope/Bank
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rain Garden
Design feature
Border; Foundation Planting
Garden tags
#native perennial #NC native #stream banks #pond margins #yellow flowers #summer flowers #butterfly friendly #slopes #boggy sites #rain garden #HS303
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Black Walnut; Drought; Erosion

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.