Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed is a Wisconsin native perennial commonly found in loamy soils in average to moist conditions. The leaves are medium green and may have a vanilla-like scent; they are arranged in whorls around a stiff green stem, which is purple at the nodes. The flowers bloom in August, extending into September, and are arranged in a domed cluster at the apex of the stem. Each flower has 5-8 pink-purple disk florets and blooms for about a month. Flowers are replaced by small seeds that contain a tuft of hair, aiding in their dispersal by wind. This species is morphologically variable in natural populations.

You may also know Sweet Joe-Pye Weed by many names, including Kidneyroot, Purple Boneset, Green-stemmed Joe-Pye Weed, Purple Joe-Pye Weed, Queen of the Meadow, and Gravel Root.

We may grow this plant in multiple sizes, including larger sizes available for pick-up in-store. But we also have it available in smaller plug sizes for purchase online. Plugs are also available in-person.

This species of Joe-Pye Weed is found in sites that are shadier and drier than other Joe-Pye Weed species. Habitats where Sweet Joe-Pye Weed can be found are open woodlands, woodland borders and thickets, partially shaded banks and glades, and savannas.

When Sweet Joe-Pye Weed is in bloom, it brings in all the pollinators to the yard. This is a great nectar source for pollinators, especially moths and butterflies.

Allow this species to naturalize in a meadow or along a woodland edge or near water. Due to its mature height when in flower, Sweet Joe-Pye Weed works well along the back border of an informal garden. It also does well in pollinator patches and rain gardens.

This is a good option for those who want the ecological benefits of Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) but lack the consistently moist to wet soils that are needed. Sweet Joe-Pye Weed can handle drier sites and more shade than Spotted Joe-Pye Weed without sacrificing flowers or plant health.

The Three-lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifascia), Ironwood Clearwing Moth (Carmenta bassiformis), and Red Groundling Moth (Perigea xanthioides) rely on Joe-Pye Weeds for their larval host plant.

Red-belted Bumble Bees (Bombus rufocinctus), Ipsilon Dart Moths (Agrotis ipsilon), Peck’s Skippers (Polites peckius), Broad-handed Leafcutter Bees (Megachile latimanus), Drury’s Long-horned Bees (Melissodes druriellus), Eastern Bumble Bees (Bombus impatiens), Rusty-patched Bumble Bees (Bombus affinis), Tricolored Bumble Bees (Bombus ternarius), Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bees (Bombus citrinus), Silver-spotted Skippers (Epargyreus clarus), White Admirals (Limenitis arthemis arthemis), Monarchs (Danaus plexippus), Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus) are all common visitors to Sweet Joe-Pye Weed.

If shorter plants are desired, pinch back in late spring.

Leave plants standing over winter to provide winter interest, food for birds, and to allow for reseeding.

Black Walnut Tolerant: Yes
Deer Resistant: Yes
Rabbit Resistant: Yes

Generally, deer-resistant, although nothing will stop a hungry deer.

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed has no serious pests or problems.

The root has been used by the Cherokee and Potawatomi as a urinary aid, a laxative, for the treatment of gout, the treatment of rheumatism, and to heal the internal organs after giving birth. It was said to treat kidney stones at one time.

The specific epithet purpureum means “purple,” a nod to the flower’s color. The genus Eutrochium is from the Greek words ‘eu’ meaning “good/well,” and ‘troche’ meaning “wheel-like,” referring to the whorled leaves.

5 species of Eutrochium are native to the United States.

Other plants that pack the punch for pollinators that can coexist with Sweet Joe-Pye Weed, including:

• Bigleaf Aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
• Giant Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
• False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
• Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
• Spreading Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)