Smooth Hedgenettle

About Smooth Hedgenettle

Smooth Hedgenettle is a charming, often overlooked native perennial that brings a delicate touch to shaded woodland edges and stream banks. Reaching about three feet in height, it features smooth, square stems and opposite, lance-shaped leaves with neatly toothed edges. In mid-summer, it produces upright spikes of tubular, light pink-to-white flowers, often decorated with intricate rosy-purple spots that guide pollinators to the nectar. Native to moist woodlands and bottomlands throughout the eastern and central United States, it performs best in partial shade and medium-wet soils. It is a vital resource for long-tongued bees, such as bumblebees, which are the primary pollinators. Its ability to form small colonies makes it an excellent choice for naturalizing in moist, shaded areas where it can provide both floral beauty and wildlife support.