Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) has been in my garden for several years now, and I kept moving it around trying to find the right spot. Apparently it needs to have some time to get settled before really taking off, so finally I found a permanent spot for it a few years ago and this year (2 years later) it is finally blooming! Well, those are flower buds but they'll open soon if we ever get some sun...
I was a bit concerned it might not get enough sun here in general (on the north side of a fence and east side of the garage) but it seems to get just enough.
Sure, it would probably bloom earlier and bigger somewhere else in the garden with more sun, but Joe needs lots of moisture, too. Therefore he's in the corner of the butterfly garden near a downspout, next to an 'Annabelle' hydrangea, another moisture-lover and late summer bloomer. Looks like they're going to be happy together!
Elsewhere you might hear about Joe Pye being a weed (hence the name!) and self-seeding aggressively, but in Calgary zone 3 he's very well-behaved. This is a tall perennial that doesn't need staking and looks great in fall. Just make sure you've got enough moisture for him and he's an excellent candidate for a low maintenance garden.
A neighbour has them growing in the backlane by his garage. They are such a great feature this time of year. (I love people who make the lane look nice too!) :)
Posted by: The Ms. S. | September 12, 2010 at 10:46 PM
Oh dear. Then you might not love me. Someday I may get around to beautifying my back alley but I must admit, it is at the bottom of a very long list of priorities! In principle I do agree its a nice idea though!
Janice
Posted by: Janice Miller-Young | September 14, 2010 at 01:04 PM
When do your Joe Pye start coming back up in the spring? Mine still haven't (end of May) and I'm starting to wonder...
Posted by: leighton | May 25, 2013 at 08:35 AM