Bear’s foot earns its name twice over: the large, lobed leaves cup the stems like rough palms reaching upward, while the plant itself grows with an untamed generosity, reaching 3 to 8 feet tall in a single season. A native of eastern and central North America, it turns up at woodland edges, along stream banks, and in open meadows where the soil is well drained and the light shifts between sun and shade. The yellow flower heads appear in midsummer and persist into early fall, drawing in bees with a reliable constancy.

Plant it where the scale makes sense: the back of a border, against a fence, or naturalized in a meadow or woodland garden. Staking can help where winds are strong, since the hollow stems are vulnerable to bending under pressure. Resist the urge to cut the plant back come autumn. Native bees overwinter inside those hollow stems, and a garden that keeps its spent stalks standing through the cold months repays that patience in pollinators come spring. Drought tolerant once established and not aggressively spreading, it is genuinely easy to grow.