COMING SOON - Eupatorium purpureum (Eutrochium) - SWEET JOE PYE WEED (very good for garden conditions, drought and shade tolerant)

Sweet Joe Pye Weed is good garden plant - it's shorter and tolerates even more drought and heat than E. fistulosum or E. dubium, and tolerates more shade.

There is lots of misunderstanding, especially in horticulture sphere. E. purpureum is upper woodland species - in nature it's always found in average to dry woodland edges, opening in woods, simply around shaded areas, lets quote Ian Caton (Wood Thrush Natives) from his great Eupatorium comparison :

"In terms of habitat, Eutrochium purpureum is the odd-man-out of the better known species. It really is an upland plant, even though plenty of publications list it as a wetland species. In my travels, I have more often seen it in average-to-dry woodland edges and even woodland interiors where enough sunlight penetrates to produce lush woodland meadows. In many ways, this really is the perfect Joe-Pye because like E. maculatum it is not too tall, and it tolerates even drier and hotter situations than E. dubium or fistulosum. Why, then, is it seldom used? This partly stems from species confusion within the nursery trade, but also most wild plants have muddy-pink (or even dirty-white) flowers and can look less than attractive. Some populations, however, have very pink flowers, so there is room for selection."

Usually a bit shorter than other Eupatoriums - 6' tall (shorter in drier spot) x 3' wide clumps, pinkish flowers with sweet vanilla scent. Preferably plant in half sun, half shade, dappled shade - simply use it's advantage to tolerate some shade, average soils with average moisture (medium, medium-dry, medium-wet).

Typical characteristics for this Joe Pye Weed are - noticeably matte leaves (non-glossy), full stems (not hollow), large leaves but only 3-4 leaves in whorls and quite large flowers. As mentioned above, this is woodland species with tolerance to some shade and drier conditions.

Flowers are usually pinkish, blooms in July - August/September.

Hardy in zones 3 to 8. Deer and rabbit resistant. Black walnut tolerant.

Attracts abundance of butterflies, including monarch butterflies, also long-tongued bees, skippers and moths (also host plant for caterpillars of moths, and some beetles).

Native wildflower in eastern half of USA, see the USDA distribution map.

For half shaded flower beds, woodland gardens, woodland edges, savannas. Great cut flower. Other common names are Sweet-scented Joe Pye Weed or Purple Joe Pye Weed.

Picture copyright : Charles de Mille-Isles, Commons Wikipedia

Pot size : square 3.5" x 4" deep perennial pot