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easy as pye ; )

17 years ago

just wanted to give a recommendation and learn some more about these bad boys...

these were cut back before they shipped to me this spring, and I like the sub-shrub

look of 'em - particularly the "little joe".

The fact that they can take a bit o shade (and great companions to white wood asters), are a big fat plus in my book.

Joe Jr. (Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe' PPAF)

I've only begun ...

it's gonna be a PARTY come seed time!

I may collect a few seeds, but plan to just let a bunch of 'em do what they do - in addition to my hands casting them about the sunnier areas.

Joe Pye (Eupatorium purpureum)

any tips and/or tricks for general care and propogation?

my guess is they'll have no problem "takin' it from here" with no help from me, thank you.

thanks and,

Happy Equinox!

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Comments (9)

dandy_line (Z3b N Cent Mn)
17 years ago
I fianally have some Jope Pye 'Glow' bloom this year and tehy are really spectacular. Bright red stems and fuller flower heads. These are keepers. Unfotunately, my other native Joe Pye are re-seeding themselves all over the place.
joepyeweed
17 years ago
Joepye can get very tall, but it really shrubs out nicely when cut back in late june before it starts to bloom.

It tolerates shade well and prefers a bit of moisture (but not necessary) I usually recommend people plant it near downspot or a low spot. If you plant joepye in full sun in a wet spot it can get huge and become very aggressive.

Its my favorite flower.
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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.
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I confused Joe-Pye with Ironweed!!!
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I have both, also. My Ironweed should bloom this year. The Joe Pye Weed has been a great general pollinator attraction, and it always has huge holes eaten from its leaves. So, some kind of larvae enjoy it. I like it as a tall backdrop for my other perennials. It provides a division between my front sunny bed and the shaded hosta/fern area under the evergreens. Martha
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My mom planted mint in a big, deep plastic pot with the bottom cut out. I'm not sure if it grew out from under the pot, but the stems flopped over and rooted outside the pot, plus seedlings appeared some feet away from the mother plant. So, I'd have to say No, lawn edging would not be an effective containment system for mint. For anything as tall as Joe Pye Weed, I'd guess you'd need something about a foot deep - and my JPW spreads more by seedlings than by spreading. I do use both steel and plastic edging - 4" wide - to keep the grass out of the beds. I still have to monitor that edge, but it's fairly effective. I use it along with bricks for a mowing strip. It's much better than bricks alone, since they're not quite deep enough to stop the grass (plus, there are gaps between the bricks, of course).
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Image by: wintersown Eupatorium rugosum seeds. Eupatorium is another of the wonderful butterfly attracting wildflowers that release their seeds via the "fluff and fly" method. Seeds are dispersed via fluffy parasols that use breezes to float mature seeds far away from the mother plant to settle into new ground, sprout and grow. Seed collection is easy....simply grasp the the fluff with your fingers and remove it from the plant. Another means of collection is to gather the mature seed clusters into your hand and crumble them into a deep container held below. The seeds and chaff will drop into the vessicle. Do not attempt to gather these seeds on a very windy day as many will be disperse into the wind as you take them from the plant. The seeds are located at the very base of the fluff held in a tight cluster. They are very small, medium brown, the width of a fine needle and about an 1/8" long. Seeds are often traded with the chaff and sowing instructions should include to sow both seeds and chaff onto the surface of moist soil and pat down to adhere the seeds to the soil.
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gw:nan-6161
17 years ago
My Joe pye is covered with dried flowerheads, but I am wondering if the seeds might have "dispursed" and flown the coop already! I am on Long Island, zone 7.Anyone have any clues as to what to look for if I want to collect them? I've cut off a bunch of bunches into a paper bag, but I am not sure what to do next. Are seeds very tiny? I am mostly seeing "fluff" but maybe some tiny hard parts that look like seed. I am an experienced gardner but new to seed collecting. Any hints? (maybe the big hint is a should have gotten there 3 weeks ago??? smile)Thanks for any help you can offer.
offplumb
Original Author
17 years ago
nan-6161
dunno if this'll help
I found this info at seed saving forum faq
(link below)

Here is a link that might be useful: seed saving FAQ ~ joe pye (Eupatorium)
joepyeweed
17 years ago
The seeds are at the bottom of the fluff.
You can just collect the fluff.
If you put the fluff in a ziploc bag (or paper envelope) and roll it between your hands, you will see the seed seperate off and fall to the bottom of the bag.
bkelley408
17 years ago
if you are trading the seeds please let me know
offplumb
Original Author
17 years ago
looks like they're ready!
bob64
17 years ago
We have them growing wild in sunny wet areas and also intentionally planted in a flower bed. They are all doing fine with no help. This must be a hardy plant.
christie_sw_mo
17 years ago
Dandy Line - Did you grow 'Glow' from seed? I found some information about it on the web but the species is listed different ways so I wasn't sure what kind of Joe Pye weed it is. Sounds pretty. Did you notice whether the butterflies liked it as well as your other Joe Pye Weed?

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