Joe-Pye Weed Care – Growing Joe-Pye Weed Flowers And When To Plant Joe-Pye Weed

Older plants can be divided and replanted in the early spring as new growth starts or fall. When the center dies out of Joe-pye weeds in the garden, then it’s time for division. You need to dig up the entire clump, cutting away and discarding the dead center material. You can then replant the divided clumps.

Eutrochium maculatum

Eutrochium maculatum is an herbaceous native perennial wildflower, commonly known as Joe Pye Weed or Queen of the Meadow, that is useful as a tall plant in wet spaces. It displays clusters of purple blossoms through summer into fall. Joe Pye Weed prefers moist to wet soil and does best in sun to partial shade. This plant is resistant to damage by deer. It does best in average, medium to wet soils in full sun, but tolerates some light afternoon shade in hot summer climates. You can cut the plants to the ground in late winter. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous. This plant often forms small clonal colonies. You can divide the plant in spring or fall and replant to a new site.

You can tell the difference between this plant and Eutrochium fistulosum by cutting a stem near the base of the plant. Eutrochium maculatum has solid pith running through the stem and Eutrochium fistulosum is hollow toward the base of the plant, filling out as the pith reaches the top of the stem.

Habitat: Marl fens, wet calcareous meadows, cove forests, grassy balds

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. In the heat, leaves may become scorched if the soil is allowed to dry out.

See this plant in the following landscape: Cultivars / Varieties:

‘Gateway’
Tiny dusky-pink flowers appear in large clusters and attract many bees and butterflies

‘Gateway’ Tags: #purple#fragrant#showy flowers#rain garden#fragrant flowers#pink flowers#nectar plant#NC native#deer resistant#pollinator plant#food source fall#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source herbage#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FACW#Piedmont Mountains FACW#wet soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#butterfly friendly#bee friendly#Audubon#perennial#wildlife friendly#collier preserve tn

Cultivars / Varieties:

‘Gateway’
Tiny dusky-pink flowers appear in large clusters and attract many bees and butterflies

‘Gateway’ Tags: #purple#fragrant#showy flowers#rain garden#fragrant flowers#pink flowers#nectar plant#NC native#deer resistant#pollinator plant#food source fall#NC Native Pollinator Plant#food source herbage#food source nectar#food source pollen#Coastal FACW#Piedmont Mountains FACW#wet soils tolerant#food source hard mast fruit#butterfly friendly#bee friendly#Audubon#perennial#wildlife friendly#collier preserve tn

• Attributes: Genus: Eutrochium Species: maculatum Family: Asteraceae Life Cycle: Perennial Recommended Propagation Strategy: Division Seed Country Or Region Of Origin: Eastern North America Wildlife Value: Attracts butterflies and honeybees Play Value: Wildlife Food Source Dimensions: Height: 4 ft. 0 in. – 7 ft. 0 in. Width: 3 ft. 0 in. – 4 ft. 0 in.

• Whole Plant Traits: Plant Type: Wildflower Habit/Form: Erect Growth Rate: Rapid Maintenance: Low

• Cultural Conditions: Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours) Soil Texture: Clay High Organic Matter Loam (Silt) Soil pH: Alkaline (>8.0) Soil Drainage: Moist Occasionally Wet Available Space To Plant: 6-feet-12 feet 12-24 feet NC Region: Mountains USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b

• Fruit: Display/Harvest Time: Fall Fruit Type: Achene Fruit Description: Hairy achene. Displays from August to November. Achenes are dispersed by the wind.

• Flowers: Flower Color: Pink Purple/Lavender Flower Inflorescence: Panicle Flower Value To Gardener: Fragrant Long Bloom Season Showy Flower Bloom Time: Fall Summer Flower Size: < 1 inch Flower Description: Flat-topped cluster of 8-20 purplish to dusky pink disk florets (no ray florets). Blooms from July to October

• Leaves: Leaf Color: Green Leaf Feel: Prickly Leaf Type: Simple Leaf Arrangement: Whorled Leaf Shape: Lanceolate Ovate Leaf Margin: Serrate Hairs Present: No Leaf Length: > 6 inches Leaf Width: 1-3 inches Leaf Description: 4 or 5 sharply toothed leaves in a whorl that grow to 8″ long 2 1/2″ wide. The upper leaf surfaces have conspicuous venation.

• Stem: Stem Color: Purple/Lavender Stem Is Aromatic: No Stem Cross Section: Round Pith (Split Longitudinally): Continuous homogeneous Stem Surface: Hairy (pubescent) Stem Description: Deep purple or purple-spotted branched stem with solid pith in the center. The central stem is stout, terete, and often covered with short fine hairs.

• Landscape: Landscape Location: Meadow Naturalized Area Landscape Theme: Butterfly Garden Cottage Garden Native Garden Pollinator Garden Rain Garden Design Feature: Border Attracts: Bees Butterflies Pollinators Songbirds Resistance To Challenges: Deer Rabbits Wet Soil

Eutrochium maculatum

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Joe-Pye Weed Care – Growing Joe-Pye Weed Flowers And When To Plant Joe-Pye Weed

Eupatorium purpureum, or Joe-pye weed as most people know it, is far from an unwanted weed to me. This attractive plant produces pale pink-purple flowers that last from midsummer through fall. It’s a great addition to nearly any garden and a must have for wildlife lovers, attracting a multitude of butterflies with its sweet nectar. Growing Joe-pye weed flowers is a wonderful way to bring a little bit of nature to your backyard.

What are Joe-Pye Weed Flowers?

Joe-pye weed flowers were named after a New England man that used the plant medicinally for helping people with typhus fever. In addition to its medicinal properties, both the flowers and seeds have been used in producing pink or red dye for textiles.

In their native environment, these plants can be found in thickets and woodlands throughout the eastern half of North America. The plants are hardy from USDA Zones 4 through 9. They reach heights of anywhere between 3 and 12 feet (1-4 m.), offering great focal interest when using Joe-pye weeds in the garden. In addition, the flowers have a light vanilla fragrance that becomes more intense when crushed.

Growing Joe-Pye Weed

Joe-pye weeds in the garden prefer full sun to partial shade. They also like to be kept somewhat moist in average to rich soil. Growing Joe-pye weed will even tolerate wet soil conditions but not overly dry sites. Therefore, in areas with hot, dry summers, plant these ornamental beauties in partially shaded locales.

Spring or fall is the most suitable time for when to plant Joe-pye weed. Due to the large size of Joe-pye weed, it makes a great background plant but also needs plenty of room to grow. In fact, they are best planted on 24 inch (61 cm.) centers as they will eventually form large clumps. When growing Joe-pye weed in the garden, group it with similar woodland plants and ornamental grasses.

For those that don’t have this wildflower presently growing on your property, you can usually find them in nurseries and garden centers. However, many of these Joe-pye weed plants are sold as E. maculatum. This type has more foliage and the flower heads as its wild counterpart. ‘Gateway’ is a popular cultivar for home gardens as it is a somewhat shorter variety.

Joe-Pye Weed Care

There’s little maintenance involved with Joe-pye weed care. The plant does enjoy regular, deep watering and will withstand heat and drought fairly well when the soil is kept moist or shade is provided. A layer of mulch will help retain moisture levels too.

Older plants can be divided and replanted in the early spring as new growth starts or fall. When the center dies out of Joe-pye weeds in the garden, then it’s time for division. You need to dig up the entire clump, cutting away and discarding the dead center material. You can then replant the divided clumps.

Plants die back to the ground in late fall. This dead growth can be cut back or left over winter and cut in spring.

Although it’s not the most recommended form of propagation, Joe-pye weed plants can be grown from seeds. They require stratification for about ten days at 40 degrees F. (4 C.). Do not cover the seeds as they require light for germination, which on average takes about two to three weeks. Root cuttings can also be taken in the spring.