Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Eutrochium per-per-EE-um

A stately native perennial with vanilla-scented foliage and huge, dome-shaped clusters of mauve-pink flowers that tower over the back of a moist border from midsummer into fall.

Eutrochium purpureum, commonly called sweet Joe-Pye weed, is a striking native perennial that brings bold late-season color and height to moist borders and naturalized plantings. Forming tall, upright clumps that typically reach 5 to 7 feet, it carries whorls of large, dark green leaves on sturdy stems tinged with purple, especially at the leaf nodes -- the crushed foliage carries a faint vanilla-like scent, a useful trait for telling it apart from its spotted-stemmed relative, Eutrochium maculatum. From midsummer into early fall, the plant is topped with large, rounded clusters of tiny mauve-pink to lavender-pink flowers that are rich in nectar and draw a steady stream of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. It adapts to a range of moist soil conditions and tolerates partial shade, making it a dependable anchor for the back of a perennial border, a rain garden, or a naturalized planting.

Pros

• Huge, late-summer flower clusters are a major draw for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators
• Aromatic, vanilla-scented foliage adds another sensory dimension to the garden
• Deer resistant and largely free of serious pests or diseases
• Tolerates a range of moist soil conditions, including occasional wet spells

Cons

• Needs consistently moist soil; leaves scorch if it's allowed to dry out
• Substantial size needs real space -- not a plant for a small bed
• Can self-seed freely in favorable conditions

A true native of moist woodland edges, meadows, and stream banks across most of the eastern and central United States, sweet Joe-Pye weed pulls serious ecological weight: its nectar-rich late-summer flowers feed large numbers of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators just as many other nectar sources are fading, and its seed heads feed birds into the colder months. Despite its humble reputation as a roadside plant, it's a long-lived, low-maintenance anchor for any moist naturalized planting.

Large, rounded clusters of mauve-pink flowers rise 5 to 7 feet tall on purple-tinged stems, and the crushed foliage releases a faint vanilla scent -- a nice way to tell it apart from its spotted-stemmed cousin, Eutrochium maculatum.

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Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other tall, moisture-loving natives such as swamp milkweed, New England aster, and native asters or grasses that can hold their own at the back of a border.

Photos of This with...