Though most gardeners consider summer to be prime time for their landscapes, there are many perennials that don't start strutting their stuff until well after the kids get back on the school bus. Many of my personal favorites from the perennial border come into flower in September, October and November, and boneset is one of them.

Eupatorium perfoliatum — also known as common boneset, American boneset and throughwort — is a member of the aster family and is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8. It is a beautiful North American native plant that has sadly been relegated to “weed” status by many gardeners (much like golden rod, joe pye weed, ironweed and field asters). It's a shame that more folks don't include these wonderful natives in their garden. They are tough, easy-to-grow plants that are already at home in Western Pennsylvania's clay-based soils.

Boneset is a personal favorite not only for its attractive, easy nature, but also because a study at Michigan State University found that boneset hosted 20 times more beneficial insects than control plantings of grass. In fact, it was the most attractive late-season blooming North American native plant they tested. All the “good bugs” boneset attracts to my garden help me control many common pests by eating them for lunch or using them to host their developing young.

Boneset is also a plant with a storied history. At one time, the leaves were regularly used as a folk remedy for fevers and colds, and were thought to aid in the healing of broken bones and dengue fever (known as breakbone fever). Though I don't plan to rely on it to heal any broken bones, it is a fascinating plant, nonetheless.

Native to damp prairies, boneset prefers average to wet soil and is very tolerant of both low and high light levels. The clump-forming plants bear flat-topped clusters of tiny, white, fuzzy flowers that are also a magnet for butterflies and bees of all sorts. In my own garden, boneset is deer-resistant — an added bonus for many gardeners.

Another distinguishing feature of this plant is its leaf structure. The base of each pair of leaves is fused together and fully clasps the stem, lending the appearance of the stem passing through the leaf (hence the species name perfoliatum, meaning “through the leaf”).

Because common boneset is difficult to start from seed due to poor germination rates, start plants from divisions or nursery stock if possible. Another native species of Eupatorium, E. serotinum (late boneset), has similar clusters of white flowers but its leaves do not clasp the stem. Instead they are borne on short leaf stalks (petioles).

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Grow Organic” and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.” Her website is www.jessicawalliser.com.

Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

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