.... and, and catmint blooming, scabiosa pincushions all up and pink, bachelor buttons opened up today. perennial phlox looking good, forget me nots outstanding but .... still no Joe.

Joe, did I say something to not make you come back? :0/

Carrie

uhh it's really early here for joe pye here in Columbus, Ohio.

okay... now what about NC? - anyone here showing any Joe?

(okay, so I a little anxious but I hear it's so beautiful that I hope my babies came back...)

Carrie

I dunno Carrie, it seems to me that JPW are one of the latest to come up here too. The Milkweed has absolutely been the latest and now I'm expecting the Hibiscus to be the same this year. It was May 14th when I noticed my JPW was beginning to emerge and the following picture is dated the same:
{{gwi:379460}}
I would take a guess and say you will probably see yours sometime this month yet. According to the NWS of average May temperature was 67F last year and I'm betting you are much warmer than that LOL!

Vera

Thanks for the picture, Vera (you have the best pictures!)

Now I will know what to look for.. :0)

carrie

No sprouts for me. This is my first year.

Joe is back! I knew "he" wouldn't disappoint me...

(Joe Pye weed last to emerge from my NC garden..)

Carrie

Just nature's way of saying 'Happy Easter!' Carrie. Now pull up a chair and watch him grow. :O)

and cover him every night so the bunnies don't get to him... poor Joe has to worry about getting eaten... Happy Easter

Carrie

You will love this plant.

Ok, why are you all having an out-of-body experience over this other "Joe?" He doesn't look all that special to me--looks like a darn weed. ;-)

Prof (Joe)

LOl - it is a "weed" a special Joe Pye Weed... and actually I am not sure how I will feel about it but our friends here on the forum love it - so it must be great!

Carrie

Kris looks into Jugs #1 #2 & #3.
"Joe? Joe? Can you hear me? Are you there? C'mon, big guy. Don't let me down... Bakemom says I will love you. Don't be scared. It won't hurt...promise..."

Jealous heart,is that what i hear Prof?
Come on,you know your "The Man"around here.
cAROL

Don't let that itty bitty little "weed" make you insecure, Prof... you know you are loved.. UNLESS YOU MAKE FUN OF JOE!

Carrie :0/

I'm not jealous at all (the little %*&*). Nor am I insecure just because I'm vertically challenged.

I love Napoleon...

But, I'll tell you this: This sucker won't have a place in my garden. I'm already a "Junior" and I'll be darned if that little weedy squirt will be tagged Joe III.

Prof

Awwwwww,
Does some one need his balnkie?

Special things happen in your gardens when you have Joe Pye. Little pretty birds come to visit in the middle of tropical storms such as in the photo below. And then when the sun shines, the butterflies come to visit Joe too. It truly is a special plant growing to 8 feet and standing strong in the greatest of winds!

{{gwi:319200}}

This photo was taken during Hurricane Noel about a year and a half ago from the bay window in the house. :O)

wow - my emerging plant is only about three inches tall - tiff - how big do you think it gets this second year (Last year, I think it was about five inches before it went down for the winter). Such a gorgeous color, hope mine is as pretty - Thanks

Carrie

I think I need to go find me some Joe Pye weed seeds! Beautiful plant. Is it too late to WS?

I sowed some and no sprouts yet. I sure hope it does sprout they are pretty flowers!

Karen

Joe is very adaptable. He even transplants well. If you know someone with an established "specimen", all you need is a shovel and a bucket. An instant Joe of your own.

Martha

Wish I knew someone, but I am the only real gardener I know. I have been trying to get some neighbors interested, but they don't want to have to water, weed, feed, etc.

Is there more than one type of Joe?
I have him, or his cousin,growing all over in the woods,i know it is Joe,but he is not as handsome as your Joe Tiffy.What gives with Joe?

At least "our Joe"(prof)-is consistent.
cAROL

Your right cAROL!

And at least our Joe isn't a shmoe!

Hey, I know "Joe Schmoe" .... went to school with him - small world

:0/

Carrie

See, I knew it! He's a con artist. One minute he's 8 feet tall and then he's a dwarf. He's handsome one day and then he's a troll. But the worst? He acts like he doesn't want children, and then you find them by the dozens in the woods!

The truth always comes out in the end.

OMG Prof. I am laughing out loud over here.

See,you are "The Man" --Joe Is a con artist,out here in the woods, he is not so handsome,he is torn and spindly looking,so, who do you think is the Real Joe?The handsome tempest,or the pauper?
cAROL

... The "real" Joe is the one I found in my garden FINALLY... and he is as cute as ever... Does that answer the first question ? Where is Joe? LOL

Carrie

I'm happy for you, Carrie, I really am, but trust me, I've been around the block a few times. I think he's a flake. He'll just prey on your love and then POOF! One spring he just won't show up.

Mark my words: "You better shop around!"

Prof

OK, let me stop laughing for a moment and see if I can answer some questions about Joe and his relatives. :O)

Carrie,
In his second year, Joe acted like a teenager and grew to about 3 to 4 feet and showed signs of puberty.

Carol,
Lots of Joes out there. We have a native that is white but does not act as perennial as those in the gardens.

Then there is Baby Joe (Eupatorium dubium) which I am acquiring this year from a friend, and I winter sowed some Eupatorium Coelestinum last year which will be going out permanently in the gardens this year. It's in the holding bed right now.

There's more Joes should you wish to google them.

tiff - wow - I am excited - thanks so much

Carrie

So Tiffy:
What is Joes full name in your picture?He is pretty nice looking.
cAROL

Joe doesn't like me. I tried 3 times to lure him into my garden, but I'm just not his type, so I gave up. There are lots of other beauties that do well for me!

Mary

Mary,

It took me three or four years to get Joe to germinate here. I knew he was handsome but didn't figure he'd be that shy. :O)

Carol,
I think the one I have is Eupatorium Pupureum. Got the seeds in a trade simply listed as Joe Pye. I also forgot that I have Eupatorium Rugosum Chocolate - darker leaves with white flowers in the fall and about 5 feet.

tiff - hopefully you will return to this thread - this is the second year - and I don't know which one I have - but can you give me an idea of how big a second year plant would get? Surely not as tall as 4 - 5 feet? it is rather small right now and it is already almost May.

Thanks

Carrie

I got me a Chocolate Joe last year. Dunno where he went, though - can't seem to find him this year.

PV

"Maybe the dingo ate your baby..." (Okay, sorry, I'm a Seinfeld fan...)

Carrie :0)

Sorry, pvick - I'm in a very "giddy" mood - my son is graduating college next week and already has a wonderful job (thank goodness here in NC) and will be getting his own apartment - so I am feeling a bit euphoric and a bit playful this week-

But seriously - I do hope your Choc. Joe returns but remember we are warmer here and my Joe just returned about four days ago - so it should be any day now for you.. :0)

Carrie

Nothing to be sorry about, carrie! Congratulations to your son - and to you!

PV

Carrie,

First, you have every right to be playful. Great going to you and your son. What a wonderful happening!

If I recall correctly, my Joes did grow to about 3 feet in their second year, over 6 in the third year, and now tops eight feet, maybe more.

PV,
Chocolate is later to emerge than the maculatums. rugosums and others. Many gardners have been known to think it was a goner and replaced it with something else. My 'regular' Joe Pye is peeking out of the ground ever so slightly right now, but I don't expect the Chocolate to even do that for another month. :O)

and it should flower towards Fall, tiff?

Thanks - Carrie

I've got "little joes!!!'. Very excited to see tiny tiny sprouts in my containers this morning. Seed collected from established "Gateway" in my garden last fall.

Now I just have to figure out where they will go... these take up room!

I still have no Joe yet.

I hope he pops up soon. The container I have got a little dry so I hope I did not ruin the seeds.

Karen

OK, I have a jug and some seeds, I'll give him one more chance Tiffy. I really need a tall screening plant and if Joe doesn't show up this time I'm going to have to look elsewhere. Or, I could break down and mail-order a couple of Joes like I did with Pyracanthus.

Mary

Years ago when I saw a ground planting of Baptisia and
Joe Pye at the nursery it really attracted me. Of course
they don't bloom at the same time but the blueish indigo
foliage contrasted well with Joe Pye. At that time Joe P.
was about 12.95 per large container. It looked fairly familiar to me. Back home I went down to our second pond--
a non treated overflow pond and found approximately 687
Joes in the soggy ground. Many years later there are not
quite so many Joe Pyes. My efforts to plant them near my baptisia have been entirely futile. I've managed to get a
small planting near our first pond. Mostly I've worked
to cut back the low wild foliage so we can look through
the lightly wooded area to enjoy Joe Pye where he chooses
to live.

I tromped out in my barn boots about a week ago--No Joe
Pye yet.

Chris

Carrie,

You're right about the bloom time. Sometimes I get impatient but love this one because it keeps the bloom time going along with Goldenrods and Buddleias way into late September and October which is nice here for the Monarchs which migrate.

Nan,
Congrats!! You're going to love more of them I'm quite sure.

Karen,
Don't give up on your container just yet. Here they only germinated in late June/early July. :O) I placed the containers in dappled shade in late may to make sure they didn't roast. Just keep the soil moist.

Oh Mary... Keep trying. If no success this year, give me an e-mail this coming winter. I'm sure I'll be able to oblige. :O)