Common name: Joe-pye weed
Botanical name: Eupatorium purpureum
Virtues: Summer-to-autumn bloom. Attracts butterflies and other pollinators.
Flowers: Small rosy flowers are held in clusters atop purple stems.
Foliage: Lance-shaped and dark green.
Habit: Herbaceous perennial, can reach 5 to 7 feet tall, half as wide.
Season: Late summer.
Origin: Moist prairies and wood edges of the eastern half of the United States.
Cultivation: Grow in full sun to part shade, in moist soil. Does not like dry conditions; drought can cause leaf scorch. Given the moisture it prefers, this plant is very easy to grow. USDA Zones 4–9.
I picked up my first two Joe Pye’s at a local library plant sale and now they, and several progeny, grow vividly among a multi-toned stand of monarda – exquisite! There is no way to count the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds who visit that section of the garden on any summer day
I love this plant. It is tall but narrow. It blooms after the spring rush, so it is a welcome invigorating presence when my garden is starting to cool its jets. Love it! I mostly sunny but shaded from the worst of the afternoon heat.