Lobrien, is the height of you Joe Pye an issue? It responds very well to summer pruning. You can cut it down by 25-50% in late May/early June depending on your zone (mine is also by a fence, so I cut the front by half, and I leave the back stems longer). I will bloom a couple of weeks later and the blooms may be a touch smaller, but there will be more blooms and the plant will be more sturdy. I was tired of my Gateway collapsing in heavy storms and this fixed the problem completely. I also used to tie it to the fence! Sorry if I misunderstood your post.

Joe Pye weed is a great plant in the right place, beautifully suited to swamps and wetlands. It is a very large plant with a robust presence. It has an appealing scent. I don't think it would be well-suited to a small English garden - it's a space eater. I don't care if people don't like the plants I grow or the way I garden. Because our gardens are public, we see the gamut of visitors. Most are kind. Occasionally, there is a gardening snob wandering through, but I have learned to ignore them. But everybody's garden is different and their experience of any given plant is bound to reflect that difference. I didn't invent any of the plants I grow, so I cannot take it personally if anyone dislikes a particular plant. Also, my own tastes change. Plants I loved 15 years ago may now be banned from the garden, or they just might be working their way back into my own top 10 list.

Betty, With the Choc Joe Pye weed, I just take a growing stem tip and cut it off maybe 6 inches down. I then remove the bottom two sets of leaves, pinch them off right up near the stem. Then I pinch out the growing tip. Dampen a very light potting mix, and if you have it on hand, add a little extra damp perlite. The extra perlite is just a precaution to maintain a well aerated rooting medium. I stick the stem end that's going into the potting mix into root tone or clonex and then into the little pot of potting soil. If it's hot or dry outside, I stick a cover over the pot made from a clear 2 liter plastic cola bottle with the bottom cut out and the cap removed. This helps maintain the moisture. Keep a check on the potting mix, as you don't want it to dry out. Mist the leaves along if you think of it. If the leaves that are remaining on the stem are very large, I cut each leaf in half. Usually I only have four leaves left on the stem above the soil line. I keep the little pot in the shade until I see new growth at the leaf nodes. This is how I do it but this is not absolute; try with what you have. Sometimes we improvise. I've had every cutting of this plant I've tried, root, so I think these plants must be very easy and hardy. I think the key is to begin with a growing tip. I've read this is the best because the plant cells contain strong hormones, as opposed to trying to take a tip cutting late in the summer when plants are beginning to slow their growth. If it were me, I'd give it a try. There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain if you want to try and grow the native variety. I wish I had room for the native variety but my garden area is small so I have to try plants that don't need a lot of room. If you're going to take cuttings from the roadside, carry along a jug of water, where you can stick the cutting as soon as you remove it from the plant. I think I'd also try to take my cuttings early in the day, before the heat of the day saps their strength. It's always fun to try something new. I was encouraged by others on these forums and I've found that most plants root quite easily from tip cuttings. Good luck. Mary

We have Joe Pye Weed growing naturally along our creek banks (God planted it) and they have not begun to emerge yet but come back faithfully every year. I break down the tall dead branches usually in the fall or spring, whenever I get around to it. My hardy hibiscus has not begun to emerge in full sun in our butterfly garden. Last year, we had shoots up about a foot when we had a hard late freeze and they withered to the ground I despaired thinking it had killed the plant. Within another week, new shoots were there and the plant didn't suffer a bit. I can't testify to Baptisia as I have none. It's on my 'want' list.