Plant of the Week: Joe Pye Weed

Joe Pye Weed

'Eutrochium purpureum'

Common Name: Joe Pye weed

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Family: Asteraceae

Native Range: Eastern and northern United States

Zone: 4 to 9

Height: 5.00 to 7.00 feet

Spread: 2.00 to 4.00 feet

Bloom Time: July to September

Bloom Description: Mauve pink

Sun: Full sun to part shade

Water: Medium

Maintenance: Low

Suggested Use: Water Plant, Naturalize, Rain Garden

Flower: Showy, Fragrant

Attracts: Butterflies

Tolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Wet Soil

Plant of the Week: Butterfly Bush

Buddleja davidii

Butterfly Bush 'Royal Red'

Detailed Description

Name: Buddleia, Royal Red

Botanical Name: Buddleia

Zone: 5-10

Bloom Time and Color: Flowers from mid-summer through fall. This butterfly bush is not quite a true red color, but purple red.

Soil: Average, well drained.

Exposure: Requires full sun.

Description: Perennial: This is one of the most sought-after of the butterfly bushes. It is a vigorous growing upright shrub. It is very easy to grow. This bush is a magnet for all the butterflies that pass through your garden seeking nectar.

Care: This plant blooms on new growth and should be pruned back to the ground in spring.

Featured Plant of the Week: New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus Americanus 

New Jersey Tea

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS

Duration: Perennial

Habit: Shrub

Leaf Retention: Deciduous

Leaf Complexity: Simple

Size Notes: Normally no more than 3 feet tall, but can reach 5 feet. 

Leaf: Green 

Autumn Foliage: yes

Flower: Flowers in 2 inch heads 

Fruit: Brown 

Size Class: 1-3 ft. 

BLOOM INFORMATION

Bloom Color: White 

Bloom Time: Mar , Apr

GROWING CONDITIONS

Water Use: Low , Medium 

Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade 

Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist 

Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2) 

CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium 

Drought Tolerance: High 

Cold Tolerant: yes

Soil Description: Well-drained, mesic sand, loam, or limey soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Limestone-based 

Conditions Comments: This extremely adaptable species can withstand inhospitable conditions because of massive, deep roots. It is quick to recover after fire. 

BENEFIT
Use Ornamental: Ground cover, Rocky hillside, Low growing, Planned landscape 

Use Wildlife: Butterflies use flowers. Turkeys and quail consume seeds. 

Use Food: The dried leaves of this nitrogen-fixing shrub make an excellent tea that was very popular during the Revolutionary War period. (Niering) 

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Attracts: Birds , Butterflies 

Larval Host: Spring Azure, Summer Azure, Mottled Duskywing 

Nectar Source: yes