Kalm's St. John's Wort

About Kalm's St. John's Wort

Kalm's St. John's Wort is a compact, mounded shrub that offers year-round interest and a burst of brilliant color in mid-summer. Reaching a tidy height of 2 to 3 feet, this hardy native features narrow, blue-green leaves and unique, papery bark that peels as the plant ages. In July and August, the shrub is covered in a profusion of bright yellow, inch-wide flowers, each filled with a dense explosion of feathery stamens that give the blooms a fuzzy, star-like appearance. Native primarily to the Great Lakes region, it is often found in rocky or sandy soils and along shorelines, demonstrating excellent durability. It is a magnet for bumblebees and other pollinators who come for the abundant pollen. This shrub is highly versatile in the landscape, thriving in full sun to partial shade and tolerating a range of soil moistures from medium-wet to dry. Its neat, rounded habit makes it an excellent choice for a low hedge, a foundation planting, or as a structural element in a native pollinator garden.