Eutrochium Species, Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Joe-Pye Weed

All the big species of this genus have lovely, large domed heads of dusty rose flowers which are very attractive to butterflies and other...Read More pollinators. The flower color is never red, scarlet, or fuchsia.

Unfortunately, the seed-heads tend to look messy rather than ornamental, and begin to detract from the flowering display within a week of the start of flowering. This is especially obvious with the white-flowered cultivars. Here the species generally blooms for about 6 weeks beginning in late July. At Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA (Z6b), plants cut back in the third week of August were found to rebloom six weeks later.

The tall species form spreading clumps without rhizomes. They are moderately aggressive and need to be divided every few years when they encroach on shorter border plants.

In the Chicago Botanic Garden's 2014 performance evaluation of Eupatoriums/Eutrochiums, 6 out of 8 cultivars received only 3 stars out of 5. This was largely due to their susceptibility to powdery mildew, which commonly disfigures the big species of this genus. [rg/downloads/planteval_notes/no37_joepyeweed.pdf" target="_dgnew"rel="nofollow">HYPERLINK@www.chicagobotanic.org]

Though they can tolerate brief dryness once established, the big species of this genus are all moist-soil plants. Drought stress can dwarf them, crisp their leaves, and make them more susceptible to powdery mildew.

The species names in this genus are commonly confused in commerce.

There are several very similar species of Joe-Pye native to eastern North America. This Spotted Joe-Pye, E. maculatum, according to "A Fi...Read Moreeld Guide To Wildflowers" by Peterson & McKenny, should have sort of flattish flower clusters, not domed; have deep purple or spotted purple stems not glaucous; have leaves in whorles of 4 or 5 around stems; and grows wild in wet thickets and meadows. Anyway, these plants are very good for pollinators with flowers or with foliage for caterpillars.

To be honest, I'm not sure if what I have is Eupatorium maculatum or Eupatorium purpureum. From the photos here, I would guess the forme...Read Morer. Whichever they are, they've been a positive experience. I like big plants, and these plants are big and not shy. This year, they flopped over a bit much, but they've grown about 5-6 feet tall in mostly sun, mostly moist soil (though not boggy). The flowers are pretty and understated, not flashy in color but noticeable -- unusual lavender or grayish purple, fuzzy umbels. They draw butterflies, other bugs, and birds, blooming in high summer for me in zone 6. They make *tons* of seeds, and they self-sow if allowed. So, overall, they're not a refined, spectacular kind of plant, but they're dependable, hardy, distinctive, fertile, and native. I grew mine from seed, and they weren't hard to start. Once planted outdoors, they grew quickly and bloomed prolifically after one winter.

This is a bold plant for a moist site or near the edge of a garden pond. Plants may reach 6 feet. The leaves are in whorls of 4 or 5 an...Read Mored are deep green and very veined. In late summer plants produce large, flat-topped pink to purple mauve flowers that are very attractive to butterflies and bees. Full sun will produce the best flowering.