1 of 2
Planted with pride
Whether it’s planted in South Carolina landscapes or elegant European gardens, Joe Pye weed makes a pretty (big) statement. The author photographed this specimen standing tall in a garden back border at Scotland’s Culzean Castle.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
2 of 2
A smart way to recycle
Any empty milk jug can become an easy-to-make irrigator for your plants.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
Gardeners don’t usually go out of their way to plant weeds, but smart backyard growers often make a snazzy exception for Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.).
This herbaceous perennial named after Joe Pye, an Indian medicine man from colonial New England, can make a big splash in the landscape with its size—it can stretch over 8 feet tall—and its impressive swaths of pinkish-purple flower fans that come out to party after midsummer.
Normally found spreading in Southeastern marshes, ditches and damp meadows, it will certainly put on a show in cultivated landscapes—heck, it has even been flaunted in some of Europe’s finest gardens.
Joe Pye weed prefers full to partial sun. Its growing ground should be well-worked and liberally enriched with compost or other organic soil conditioners. And since it is not a stranger to wet conditions in the wild, this big “weed” is also a prime candidate for rain gardens and low-lying, poorly draining areas.
Rated for USDA Zones 4 through 9, this wildflower is certainly hardy in any South Carolina garden, and, as a bonus, it is deer-resistant. Local nurseries stocking native plants will often have maturing Joe Pye weeds, but gardeners can opt for freebies from fellow growers with seeds harvested and sown in the fall.
Plants started from seeds usually take at least two years before they are developed enough to put on a flower show, so for quicker results, Joe Pye weed is also easily propagated by dividing its rhizomes after the foliage has died down at the end of the growing season.
Because of its size, Joe Pye weed visually works best if left to tower in the back of a flower border, but even in such a tucked away spot, it won’t be lonely because, if you plant it, butterflies and bees will certainly come.
Have a small garden? Save space by planting cultivars with a smaller stature. Gateway has been a popular pick for years because it levels out around 5 to 6 feet tall but still packs the same flower power of its full-size cousins. Little Joe, a relative newcomer, will go even lower—about 4 feet in height. And for a tinted twist, the compact (3 to 4 feet tall) Chocolate sports foliage dipped in purplish-bronze with white flower fluffs.
Little Joe and Chocolate also have the advantage of being resistant to powdery mildew, an occasional Joe Pye weed bugaboo. However, planting in an open, sunny, airy spot will help prevent this problem. In addition, powdery mildew can be combatted with fungicides such as neem oil or horticultural oil.
___
Tip of the month
Have a particularly prized perennial or annual located just outside the refreshing reach of the water hose? See to its irrigation needs during hot, dry times with a milk-made solution. Simply use a nail to poke a small hole in the bottom of an empty plastic milk container, fill it up with water, screw on the cap and set it next to the pretty plant in need. Don’t twist the cap on tightly—you want a slightly leaky vacuum so the water will slowly soak into the surrounding soil, which will make for a deeper, more effective quenching. To promote stronger growth, occasionally add a diluted mix of liquid fertilizer to the milk jug.
___
July in the garden
- Prune lower leaf suckers on tomato plants to save more energy for fruit production. However, resist cutting off any upper foliage that shields tomato fruit from the sun because this natural covering helps prevent sunscald.
- Houseplants vacationing outside should be watched for signs of bad-bug mischief in the form of laid eggs that could become infestations once they are brought back inside in the fall. Wiping leaves occasionally (both on top and underneath) with a damp cloth will help waylay egg-laying activities.
- Brown patches of grass in the yard aren’t necessarily the result of summer drought. Push a shovel into the top few inches of the afflicted area and turn the soil over. If there are any short, white “worms” present, it means that lawn grubs have been gorging themselves on grass roots.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.