Gone Gardenin’ — Tips on growing the hardy Joe Pye weed

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This article was published 23/08/2018 (2631 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gardeners who like native plants will probably already have Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) plants in their gardens. Using native plants in our gardens has several advantages, one being that they are reliably hardy, since they grow well under local conditions and are not difficult plants to grow in our area.

Our climate can present many of our garden plants with challenges, from strong winds and drought to heavy rainfall and frigid winters. The plants we use need to be tough to be able to endure such harsh conditions and still perform well. Native plants are able to do this.

Joe Pye weed can handle our climate well, since it is rated a zone 2b plant and will survive the coldest winter without protection. It is happy in most soil types, although it does prefer moist soil. In the wild it is often found near bogs but it also grows in ditches where the soil remains moist.

If it is grown in dry soil it will wilt on very hot summer days. For this reason, it performs well when it is planted where it will get some protection from the hot afternoon sun and where it has a ready source of water or be able to be watered regularly. It should not be planted in full shade however, as it likes some sun.

A herbaceous perennial, Joe Pye weed has a bold, coarse texture that commands attention in the garden. Its large narrow serrated leaves are bright green when they are young but become a dull dark green as they age. Joe Pye weed is a large plant growing over two meters tall and it has a spread of at least a meter.

It is not a plant easily accommodated by a tiny urban garden it needs space and a garden that is in proportion to its size. It has an upright growth habit and the bottom 30 cm or so will look quite bare if it is planted by itself as a specimen plant. It almost always has companion plants in front of it to hide the bareness near its base. It is usually positioned at the back of a border and shorter plants are planted in front of it.

Joe Pye weed produces plumes of pink flowers in late summer and fall. It has quite a long bloom period and becomes a focal point of the perennial garden when many other perennials have begun to flag. The individual flowers are quite small but dozens of them are tightly packed onto the large flower heads. Its burgundy stems add even more colour.

Joe Pye weed is easily propagated is by division. The plants eventually get quite large and grow into huge clumps. Sections of the parent plant can be removed and used to start new plants. When the new divisions are planted it is vital that the crowns of the new plants not be planted too deeply; they should be planted at or slightly above the soil surface.

This is one perennial that does not like to be planted too deeply. Like the peony, it objects to its crown being covered with a lot of soil. Otherwise, it is a relatively low maintenance plant and other than the fact that it needs a consistent supply of water, it pretty much takes care of itself. Joe Pye weed is a sturdy plant that is usually self supporting and only when grown in too much shade will it need to be staked.

Joe Pye weed has many uses in the landscape. Because of its height it adds a vertical dimension to any border. In a large public garden or on an expansive rural property it can be mass planted, which creates a stunning effect. Its height and substantial size also make it a good plant to use as a screen or a summer hedge to hide less attractive views.

It is a wonderful accent plant in the border and when placed near the back of the border which it usually is because of its height – it becomes a wonderful background for other plants situated in front of it. Because of its fondness for moist soil, Joe Pye weed is often used at the edge of garden ponds or in bog gardens, and of course being a native plant, Joe Pye weed is frequently used in naturalized areas and wild flower gardens.

Because it is such a tall plant, Joe Pye weed has not been extensively used in small urban gardens, and because most of the population lives in urban areas and must garden in confined spaces, the demand for a smaller version of the plant developed. As a result, dwarf varieties have been bred that only get about half the height of the species type.

Reaching a height of a little over one meter and having a denser more compact growth habit, these smaller plants are right at home in small urban gardens. The dwarf varieties, all which will be labelled Eupatorium dubium, include ‘Little Joe ‘and ‘Baby Joe’. Some of the smaller versions of Joe Pye weed also have darker colored flowers, tending toward dark rose- purple instead of the dusty rose color of the taller kind. These plants have the same attractive burgundy stems and long serrated leaves.

If you choose to add a taller Joe Pye to your garden or maybe try one of the smaller versions of this lovely perennial, you will be pleased with the results. Joe Pye weed will surely add beauty to your landscape whichever version you select.

Albert Parsons lives, writes, and gardens in Minnedosa.

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