Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)

PLANT INFORMATION

Plant Size: CP32

Name: Joe Pye Weed – Eutrochium  fistulosum

Type: Perennial Flower

Growth Characteristics   Joe Pye Weed usually grows to 4 to 7 feet tall. Its great height makes it a dramatic accent in the back of a garden. It is an erect and clump-forming plant with a width of 2-4 feet.  Blooms in mid-summer into fall.  Is easy to maintain. Plant 3-6 feet apart. Typically found in the low moist ground of meadows, woods, and fields. You should cut the plants back to the ground in late winter. Divide the plants in fall as they go dormant, or in the spring just as shoots first appear to propagate new plants or to correct excessive clumping.

Hardiness: Climate zone 4-8

Light Requirements: Prefers full sun to partial shade

Water Needs:  Prefers damp, moist to wet, rich soils, but it will also grow in gravelly or sandy soils if there is sufficient moisture.

Soil Preference:  Will grow in all soil types; prefers moist, fertile/loamy, and neutral pH soils.

DISEASE, PEST AND DEER RESISTANCE

Resistant to fire and wet soils. Moderately resistant to damage from deer.

SITE CONSIDERATIONS

Give this plant plenty of room to grow and use for naturalizing in moist meadows or in native/pollinator gardens.  The tall stems are likely to need support in part shade locations.

Value to Wildlife and Insects

Flower nectar is attractive to various pollinators, especially honeybees. Songbirds eat the seeds.

ADDITIONAL FACTS UNIQUE TO THE SPECIES (IF ANY)

Native Americans made teas from various parts of the plant to treat ailments.