Thanks for the tip, trailrunner. I will check out our Lowes on Monday! Glad to see you here!!!

Trailrunner, when it comes to winter cold, my climate writes the book! I utilize many different types of heliopsis, roses, compact growing hydrangeas, upright sedums, ornamental oregano, ageratum 'High Tide' Blue, rudbeckia, marigolds, zinnias, verbena bonariensis is amazing ... occasionally, a dahlia or two and have a few 'Rose Glow' barberries in there, these are pruned to avoid them becoming too large. The annual 'Amazon Neon' sweet Williams is an outstanding addition of recent years, I just have fun with it all and "attempt" do to a bit of color coordination.

My nearest Lowes is just a bit too far away to be checking out all that often. :(

Marie, I hope you find your 'Baby Joe' ...

Rouge, you have a 'BJ' for yourself? ... awesome,

I see no signs of life for my single BJ planted last Fall :(. But then again I have no experience with Pye Weeds....is it a perennial that shows itself later in the spring? (Fingers crossed)

rouge I just went out and checked on my BJ - nothing showing yet.

Thanks so much @peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada for taking the trouble to check...definitely above and beyond the call of duty!

There has been no sustained warmth making things slow to wake up and get going here. Am especially looking forward to last years new release 'Ruby' , there was another new dwarf variety released as well, though it's name escapes me.

there was another new dwarf variety released as well, though it's name escapes me

@FrozeBudd_z3/4, we need names! :)

I've been looking daily at all my baby Pye's coming up- they are all showing growth except one Gateway. This will be my first year with any of them, can't wait to see how they do for me.

Still no sign of my Gateway either, planted at the end of last summer. I’m so looking forward to this plant that I check its status every day! Fingers crossed it’s just taking its time.

'Gateway' sure doesn't disappoint with it's massive blooms!

I have four varieties, 'Baby Joe', 'Little Joe', 'Gateway' and 'Ruby' ... 'Pink Frost' is of a more tender type and didn't winter.

FrozeBudd: now I want one. Or two or three...

Gawdinfever, I have a dozen total plants around the place and always excited to come across a newly released variety, but yet so far, 'Baby Joe' is my favorite.

I'm just grateful for this thread refreshing my memory of which ones I planted where...

rouge I just went out and checked on my BJ - nothing showing yet.

I have been checking every day for signs of life and today I see it has made it through its first winter :).

I finally see signs that Gateway has made it, too, how very exciting! :-)

See it now :)

they are all showing growth except one Gateway.

@cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky) did your G finally show itself?

Yes, all of them are up and growing just fine!

I saw a variegated JP in a catalog…Pink Frost. Anyone have that?

'Pink Frost' has unfortunately not wintered for me in my cold zone 3, nice plant though that I should give another try with tucking it next to the foundation of the house.

Barrhead, I live not far from a town of that name.

In Scotland I assume? My father was born there.

now I want one. Or two or three...

I did chuckle to myself, recalling this thread as I spied this very robust GATEWAY while walking up and down the aisles of a nursery this morning.

(It's now in my possession :))

Barrheadlass, well, that got my curiosity up ... James McGuire, one of the first settlers in the area, named Barrhead, Alberta, Canada after his hometown of Barrhead Scotland.

Rouge, step back, you're gonna need to give that new child of yours plenty of room!

FrozeBudd, i had no idea there was another Barrhead!

Rouge, step back, you're gonna need to give that new child of yours plenty of room!

For sure. As you can see it is huge in its nursery pot. I do a have spot in mind.

Mmmm, looks close, but that more so resembles a paniculata hydrangea.

Our BJPW, (planted last late summer) is starting to show a teeny bit of that "gorgeousness" I see in the picture in your first post @FrozeBudd_z3/4.

"Mmmm, looks close, but that more so resembles a paniculata hydrangea."

Looks like a Joe Pye to me. And a spectacular nursery specimen, at that. I'd grab it and run if the cost isn't prohibitive.

I saw a "Ruby" on the bench recently but she didn't come home with me -- I don't have room for any more (not now, anyway....)

Mxk3 z5b_MI, I believe rouge has removed the photo he posted inquiring as to the identification of a plant that much resembled a Joe Pye weed, thus my comment regarding the paniculata hydrangea. As for 'Ruby', mine is so far doing well and eagerly anticipating how it develops over the years.

Yes, that ”Gateway” is spectacular! I’ve never seen one so large at any nurseries near me.

I also saw ”Ruby” today, and ”Little Joe” as well. Alas, neither came home with me, as I just have no room at the moment either.

"Mxk3 z5b_MI, I believe rouge has removed the photo he posted inquiring as to the identification of a plant that much resembled a Joe Pye weed, thus my comment regarding the paniculata hydrangea."

Oh, I thought you meant the photo of the one in the pot that Rouge came home with.

Lovemycorgi and Mxk3, you both need larger yards then! :) At times, I often wish I hadn't developed sooo many planting beds that actually I've needed to reduce some, there's only so much time and energy in one's day!

Rouge, yes, your 'Baby Joe' is beginning to show its good looks!

"Lovemycorgi and Mxk3, you both need larger yards then!"

HAHA yes. But no. I'd love more acreage then just 3, but I'm afraid I bit off a more than I might be able to chew when I get older in the beds department.

I did plant some random natives out in the pasture-turned-meadow, but I don't see any out there. We didn't mow so I don't know if the grass is too tall and hindered the growth of other plants or I just can't see them through the tall grass -- I'm waiting to see the tall ones like helianthus and cup plant to let me know which it is. It's a learning curve for us, I might have to have DH mow in the fall or early spring, but then again nobody mows out in the wild and everything somehow falls into place {shrug}. But I'm sure a big-*ss Joe Pye can fend for itself out there!

I, too, have a multi-acre parcel, but my property backs to a river and the deer population is completely out of control. it’s all I can do to protect the perennial beds I currently have from their non-stop ravaging!! I’m thinking of fencing off an area close to my house so I can expand my gardens without worry. :-)

Ahhh, yes, anyone on an larger parcel knows all too well the dedication of time and physical effort of planning, planting, tending and weeding and arsenal of tools and equipment to maintain endless tasks! I have four acres, with about 2 acres in lawn and gardens, much too much for only my two hands to tend, though coming from a large grain farm as we had, I could not imagine living closely rubbing shoulders with anyone! Had gone enthusiastically overboard that some beds I was later forced to delete and others reduced where possible. My harsh far north climate much restricts selection of roses and fine shrubs, evergreens and virtually no broad leaf evergreens are capable of surviving this mean climate, makes it much more challenging filling foundation plantings and all others, heck even the most hardy of evergreens and deciduous shrubs often have a degree of winter damage, ain't no gardening paradise that's for sure, though things can still look fine decent good.

FB, you're selling yourself short. Your gardens always look spectacular, and I'm amazed at what you do in zone 3/4. Heck, I'm amazed anyone actually lives in zone freaking 3/4, lol, never mind gardens! IMO, your garden IS a paradise!

:)

Dee

Speaking of Joe Pye…I have Gateway and Little Joe. Virtually every single leaf has holes. I have never seen a culprit…any idea? My yard has lots of snails and slugs, and I dispatch them regularly, but have never seen a single one on Joe.

Thanks Dee, I appreciate your kind comments, there is of course good and bad regarding all climates, mine is often just hard to take, though a blessing is of our generally moderate summer temps and low humidity making for comfortable outdoor living and gardening, until the mosquitoes come out that is! I had dreamt tooo large and bitten off too much, then things only end up suffering and a lot of it never looks as one hoped. Yes, the far northern winter nights of darkness almost do suffocate a person, though I can't imagine living even further north and not seeing the sun rise above the horizon for several months! And that awful bitter arctic cold has one huddled under heaps of warm blankets and the furnace forced to run almost continuously! Surprisingly, though, this region is rather highly populated due to resource wealth and fertile farmlands.

Barrheadlass, for myself, these plants seem to be pretty well left alone by insects and deer as well, I hope you find the culprit or problem.

Our "Baby Joe" today, planted last Fall, after reading this thread started by @FrozeBudd_z3/4. Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread.

Ahhh, nice and blooming ahead of mine. With all the rain earlier in the season, my biggest 'Baby Joe' is well over 5 ft tall, sheesh! That blue phlox of yours is very nice and 'Bobo' is doing its thing!

Mine I'd say is about a week less advanced. My issue with getting uber growth on these is my deep digging, I enjoy turning the soil over to a good deep depth and removing stones and heavy clay, sometimes the plants say more than a "BIG" thank you!

Is that the helianthus I spy? I lost mine in one of the few years we experienced winter wet, the ground remaining unfrozen and becoming saturated wet in late winter early spring, I lost several perennials then.

Hey @FrozeBudd_z3/4, the helianthus you are 'spying' is HAPPY DAYS. I have had it almost as long as SUNSHINE DAYDREAM. It is an excellent perennial.

Rouge, do you have a preference between the two varieties, also is one possibly a bit more compact than the other? I really had liked 'Sunshine Daydream'.

I got SD *because* of your positive experience many years back! As mentioned I have both.

(HD on the left; SD on the right)

I think HD looks more floriferous and I think doesn't spread as much, but again both are wonderful perennials.

Awesome, thanks Rouge, guess I'll purchase whatever I "might" find at the nursery. I no longer do much mail order, well cause most places have either entirely closed or shut down their mail order aspect :(.

It was a bit of a hard go for the GATEWAY that I bought June 2022 as it was so dry last year. But it did survive the winter and most of this summer has been so wet this second year Gateway has done well (6 feet tall). Here it is today, starting to flower.

Please show us your Gateway specimens.

Not Gateway but a Noid I have. I dug it up roadside and have moved it around…now in a happy place. 6’ plus 😳

And I saw a stand of JPW at a public garden yesterday.

I once saw a stand about that size at a nursery. It was a different variety though…maybe a bit shorter but richer and beefier. It was stunning!