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I planted Joe Pye Weed but................

14 years ago

Last fall I got two divisions of what was suppose to be Joe Pye weed. It is coming up nice and all but it sure does not look anything like Joe Pye weed to me. Does anyone know what it is? I have it growing in my tortoise's enclosure and want to make sure it is safe for him and may just want to tear it out, if it is not a form of Joe Pye weed.

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Comments (7)

finchelover
14 years ago
This sure looks like marijunia plant to me.
mxk3 z5b_MI
14 years ago
Um, yea....looks like weed to me, too
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I think your spot sounds perfect for Joe Pye Weed. They are fast growing and the flowers receive heavy attention in late summer from the insect population, lots of bees and butterflies. I found the soft purple/mauve/rose color to be very blendable & easy to use. Foliage always stays nice and crisp looking until frost and the stems always stay erect. No staking is necessary. Gateway looks nice with black-eyed susans, pink turtlehead, grasses, and any pink or wine toned early garden mum, such as Clara Curtis. Beware, however, that in a wet spot the plants may get taller than advertised. My Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium fistulosum 'Gateway', planted in a moist low spot (in heavy clay) went up & up, to a good 10 ft. tall, not the 4-7 ft often noted on planting tags. Cutting them back greatly reduced the flowering. Timing the cutback (which I never actually mastered) seemed to have a lot of impact on the flowerheads and the eventual height. Sometimes I had small flowerheads, but plenty of them, sometimes the flowerheads were broken, sometimes not much flowering at all - and all this varied on 3 ft to 8 ft plants with no rhyme or reason that I could see. I eventually moved them to a drier spot (but still moisture retentive clay) and they now get only 4-5 ft tall and don't have to be cut back. On a restricted water diet, each plant is currently about 2 ft wide, but will probably reach the 3 ft width Eric mentioned. In the 10 years I have had Gateway, I have only had one seedling pop up. That may be a result of my heavy soil, crowded conditions and mulch. BTW, it showed itself last year in the middle of a yellow and blue-purple bed & it's still there this year - meant to move it, but kind of like it there at that time of year :~))
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I have a few short Joe Pye's too (can't remember which one) and have never had BFs on them that I know of...they are nice for late season bloom, though... I wonder if you need a whole small field of Joe Pye to catch the interest of the butterflies...? I planted the white eupatorium (although I think they've changed the names on these again) and I haven't seen BFs on that either. And I have lots of that growing around here.
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stephanie_kay
Original Author
14 years ago
I thought it looked a little like that too, but it isn't. lol
I got it at a garden center last fall, they were dividing plants up I got two starts, it was marked Joe Pye Weed.
Besides being listed as a Butterfly plant. I really do not know nothing about it. Today on break I was looking at a garden book and decided to see when Joe Pye weed bloomed. That is when I noticed the leafs on my plant looked totally different then the one in the book. I was too busy to check it out so I thought I would see if anyone here knew what it was. I did find after I posted this Eupatorium cannabinum. But it still does not look like what I have.
tiffy_z5_6_can
14 years ago
I believe it is Filipendula - Queen of the Prairie. Some people seem to be able to grow this plant well, but mine run like the dickens and shoot up where I don't want them to. I am now trying to grow them in dryer conditions to see if that will keep the 'running' down a bit.

It is beautiful and will flower either in pink or white. Quite tall at about 5 feet. Late bloomer.
stephanie_kay
Original Author
14 years ago
I looked up some photos of 'Filipendula' and I did find one photo that looked kind of like it. I checked out our catalog and we do sale them where I work. I was so excited about having Joe Pye,
Will dig it out this morning. Not something I really want growing there.
Thanks Tiffy
terrene
14 years ago
I agree with Tiffy - Filipendula rubra. Tall native prairie plant that prefers moist open areas. I got a few small divisions in a swap last Spring and planted it next to my Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) and some other wetland plants. Boy has it taken off this year.

It spreads by runners and needs space, but it has absolutely beautiful blooms. Btw, most of the Joe Pye's also get huge.
stephanie_kay
Original Author
14 years ago
Terrene,
The Joe Pye was the Little Joe...
I have already dug up the F.rubra, but if it spreads by runners I really do not want it. Decided to put it on the west side of my house but since it is a runner I will find another home for it, thanks for the info.

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