Bog Buttons

A couple of years ago, we installed a new bog garden in front of our nursery office with a rock stepping stone path through the center. Looking for a plant to fill in between the stepping stones without taking over, I thought it would be interesting to try the Southeastern US native Lachnocaulon anceps, a plant commonly known as bog buttons. The entire family, Eriocaulaceae, has a similar stature with small grass-like foliage, topped by these antennae-looking flower stalks. In the wild, bog buttons are found in low, often flooded ditches, but they are easily grown in constructed bog gardens. We are thrilled with the results. The short evergreen foliage looks great all year, and then in mid-May, when the long procession of flowers begin, it takes on a whole new level of cool.