Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Eupatorium purpureum

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed earns its name from a genuine sweetness. break a stem and the vanilla-scented fragrance is immediate, unusual and pleasant in a late-summer plant. The flat-topped dusty pink flower clusters, often six inches or more across, bloom in August at eye height on plants that can reach seven feet in rich, moist soil. Stand next to one in peak bloom and count the butterfly species: monarchs, swallowtails, fritillaries, skippers, sulfurs. they arrive in waves. It has a presence in the garden that few other native plants can match. tall, bold, fragrant, and alive with activity for weeks. Use it at the back of a large border, at a woodland edge, or naturalized along a stream. The dried flower heads and stout winter stems hold structure through the cold months and provide cover for overwintering insects. A landmark plant.