Goat's Rue

Goat’s Rue, Tephrosia virginiana, is a native wildflower that will add texture and color to your garden. As part of the legume family, Goat’s Rue has large, sweet-pea-looking flowers of cream, deep pink, and yellow that bloom from May to August. Goat’s Rue has a silvery or hairy appearance, feather-like pinnately compound leaves, and a mature size of 1-2 feet high and 1.5 feet wide. Pollinators love this perennial from zone 3 to 9. Goat’s Rue was originally fed to goats to increase their milk content until the plant’s toxic roots and other parts were used for insecticides and pesticides. 

Goat’s Rue is a low-maintenance plant native to dry woodlands and sandy locations in the Eastern US and Canada. It is considered a subshrub or low bush with a mounding habit. Goat’s Rue is an excellent choice for borders, mass plantings, small groups, native gardens, or even rock gardens. It is deer resistant, drought resistant, disease resistant, and a pest deterrent. 

Goat’s Rue Care

You can plant Goat’s Rue from spring to summer. Choose a location in part to full sun with well-draining soil. Goat’s Rue prefers more acidic soil since it is native to dry, open woods and sandy sites. Goat’s Rue has very low water and fertilizer needs and likes drier locations. 

Goat’s Rue has a deep root system, which makes dividing or transplanting the plant difficult. The plant is best left where established. You can cut spent flower stems back to the ground in late winter or early spring. These plants are slower to mature and can take several seasons to bloom. 

Goat’s Rue Spacing

Carefully choose the planting location for your Goat’s Rue since the plant will not enjoy being moved. For mass planting, space plants 2 ft apart. Goat’s Rue is in the family fabaceae or the pea family, which means it will fix nitrogen in your soil and benefit other plants.

Goat's Rue Information