PlantFiles: Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Eutrochium purpureum

I bought a plant of Joe Pye Weed at a NatIve Plant Sale and when planted it grew to be enormous! I couldn't reach the top of the stems. It attracted loads of Tiger Swallowtails both males and females and they laid eggs and I found 2 Chrysalises. The following year it hardly grew at all! Then the year after that it came back again, but was never as glorious as the first year. I have come to realize because I'm in Zone 8.5 - 9 that it's probably out of its range. It has never come back after that 3rd year. I will try to post a photo.
Gainesville, Florida

Grows wild in our creekbed. We have hardly gotten any rain this summer with days hovering in the 80s to 90s, and even the creek is getting low. These plants have been flowering for about a week now and look beautiful, with 0 care from me. Probably about 5 feet tall. No idea where they came from; they almost got weedwhacked!

Joe Pye is not the flashiest plant in the garden but it makes a strong background, fuss-free & hardworking at the end of August. This is our first year beekeeping and Joe Pye is covered with bees most of the day. Butterflies too but bees, all kinds, are all over these plants.

I've had a stand of Joe Pye enough years I don't remember the cultivar but it's about 6' with morning shade, afternoon sun, little water. It doesn't stray for me, nor does it throw offspring. It does bend down at the end of its time in the sun, generally when it's full of seeds & rain, but most of the time it stands tall without difficulty.

My son gave me some of this at least 11 yrs ago. We planted it in full sun at the end of my yard in a newly converted perennial bed of other native prairie plants. ( I had gotten sick of the boring annuals after 25 yrs.) It must love its spot because it grows to 10 ft or more every year and puts on a beautiful show of dusty rose blooms.
I never needs staking and has not tried to take over the bed.

Good thing I paid attention to where I planted this, it grows taller then the 6 foot fence I planted it in front of! I love this type of plant, it requires no care from me, no staking required for such a tall plant. Beautiful flowers and the plant is slowly spreading but more in a clumping manner, very well behaved.

I picked up a couple small plants a couple years ago at the local Spring plant fair to benefit the library. At the time I knew only that it was popular with butterflies and bees - that was good enough for me! Well, I planted it with similarly tall plants, an ever-growing patch of Monarda, so it doesn't look silly when it gets tall. Instead the gigantic pinkish purple flower heads look like regal monarchs over the punk-rocker Bee Balms ;-)
My bees and butterflies are in heaven when they visit this patch of yard, and when they start to creep outward, as both tend to do, I either transplant or gift the extras to friends. Spectacular with a pair of pale purple butterfly bush, bright yellow button Tansy and goldenrod for contrast, and wild grape in the background of the mix!

I enlarged my lawn area last year after having several damaged trees removed. I mowed the area and noticed several large plants coming up. I continued to mow around these plants to see what they were. I now have four large specimens of Sweet Joe Pye Weed. They are near a stone wall and get sun most of the day. The property was originally a large German homestead during the 1700-1800's. Stone walls mark my five acre property. I've found many plants and often wonder who planted them and how long they've been here.

More a question than a comment - can you trim this plant back to prevent it from becoming massive yet will it still bloom?

Lovely large plant, be sure to give it plenty of room, and plant it near other large plants so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. The red stems are a great contrast, and the foliage turns a nice shade of gold in the fall. I leave most of the seedheads standing over winter except those that want to flop. Great combo with chocolate boneset and mugwort.

Help! Joe Pye is taking over my garden! While it is a beautiful and easy to grow perennial its "creepability" is getting to be a nuisance. I also find it extremely difficult to dig up. I still want a small stand left, but would appreciate any ideas on how to get this stuff out of my garden! My idea now is to let it freeze over winter (I live in MN) and then tackle it in the spring. Good idea? I'd love to hear from anyone who has licked this problem.

A Joe Pye variety showed up in my garden in Northern AL last year. It grew to about 2 1/2 feet, with no blooms. I had no idea what it was, but the leaves were so attractive - they grow in the shape of swirls, so I called it my favorite weed. This year I transplanted my "weed" with no problems to another moist area of my yard with full sun. It is now about 4 feet tall, 2 feet wide and about ready to send up flower stalks. I've never watered it, and it's gorgeous, with a really nice upright shape.

I started Joe Pye Weed from seed last year in my little greenhouse, then planted the seedlings in different locations to see how they would fair. Made the mistake of putting some of the seedlings in the front border of my sunny bed, and they are now well over 5 feet tall; I will attempt to move them this fall. In my part shade garden they are only about 2 to 3 feet tall. Much better! Butterflies absolutely love this plant.

According to Underwood Gardens' catalog this plant is reputed to have been named after a Native American doctor who used it medicinally in Massachusetts. Is said to stimulate circulation and sweating; makes a gentle laxative and helps with kidney problems. Some Nat. Amer. tribes still consider it an aphrodisiac. It is for certain a butterfly magnet.
It is in danger of becoming extinct in the wild.

I've grown Joe Pye Weed in my garden with great success - too much success. I'm still trying to contain it 3 years after deciding it was much too aggressive in the border. It is much better left to admire in the wild.

Growing wild here in Dallas, GA along a creekbed. Plan to watch over the next few years and see how it multiplies. We have had a very wet summer, so that may have helped it. Will add more next year if I notice any differences. Love the plant. Butterflies by the dozens are attracted to it.

This plant requires almost no tending. I water it during heat spells. The flowers are fabulous and last a long time. The clump has tripled in size in 3 years. Mine is pale rose colored.

My family is from the Southeast, primarily Mississippi. I had a great-aunt who was given the nickname "Pyejoe" by her father or some other close male relative. I've always suspected this plant gave rise to her nickname...As kids we always thought Aunt Pyejoe was "racy", since she smoked and played cards!

Easily grown in average, medium wet to wet soils in full sun. Prefers moist, fertile, humusy soils which do not dry out. Cut plants to the ground in late winter.

Eupatorium purpureum is the common Joe Pye Weed, however there are 40 species in this genus. One of the most common garden grown species is Eupatorium fistulosum. It grows 3' to 10' tall and about as wide. It likes moist, rich soil, sun to partshade. It flowers from mid summer to early autumn, the flowers come in colors of white, shades of purple and pink. The hardiness depends on the species. It can be invasive, but kept under control if divided every two years.