Your cart is currently empty!
Container Garden Ideas for Small Spaces
Learn how to create beautiful ‘standard trees’ from shrubby plants for indoor and outdoor spaces with container gardening techniques.
Your cart is currently empty!
Photo:
Dominicus Johannes Bergsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Magnificent Silphium genus, it displays its bright yellow flowers on tall stems in late summer. Grows easily from seed, and is at home on a wide variety of soils, from moderately dry to moist. Excellent for tough clay soils. Birds love the seeds.
Silphium refers to a resin-producing shrub native to Greece. Terebinthinaceum means “turpentine-like,” referring to the odour of the plant. Historically, resin was highly prized for a variety of purposes, including religious incense. Though prairie dock has been used in the past for various ailments, today the plant is considered toxic.
Botanical Name: Silphium terebinthinaceum
Also Called: Prairie Rosinweed
En français: Silphium
See More Plants in this Botanical Family:
Colour:
Blooms:
Sun / Shade:
Water: Has a tap root, so it can survice droughts
Height:
Width:
Pollinators:
Care:
In nature, find prairie dock in prairies (who is surprised?) and meadows. It has excellent height for the back of the border, prairies, cottage gardens, wildflower gardens, and native plant gardens. It grows slowly initially but is long-lived and resilient. Choose companion plants based on your garden theme, desired height and colour arrangements. Because it is pollinated by bees, Prairie Dock can also be part of a pollinator garden.
In late fall, plant seed 1/4 inch (6mm) deep in a seed bed for overwintering. The seeds will germinate in the spring. You may also plant and overwinter them in pots, but make sure the pots are covered with snow to protect the seeds from harsh winter conditions. When seedlings sprout in the spring, transplant them.
Silphium Terebinthinaceum is a low-maintenance, hardy plant that grows best on ordinary, medium, well-drained soils in full sun. It is a resileint plant, it tolerates poor soils and can withstand droughts because of its deep tap root.
Learn how to create beautiful ‘standard trees’ from shrubby plants for indoor and outdoor spaces with container gardening techniques.
Prepare your garden for the changing weather in August! Learn about starting seeds like lettuce and carrots, dealing with pests, and caring for potatoes and pumpkins.
Discover the importance of saving water, from graduated water bills to sustainable gardening practices like rainwater harvesting and runoff prevention in Ottawa.
Discover how to cultivate wild bergamot from seed. Learn about sowing, growing, and attracting pollinators with this drought-tolerant prairie perennial.
Another shopping spot for a “Seed-a-holic” are the Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays. In Almonte it takes place on February 19th 9-3 and in Perth, our Seedy Sunday takes place on March 8 10-3. These events draw many sellers of local Heirloom seeds and Organic seeds
GardeningCalendar.ca gets some funding from advertisers. If you click on links and advertisements at no cost to you, the site may receive a small commission that helps fund its operation.
© 2025 J&S Calendars Ltd.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.