Spotted Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium maculatum (L.) E.E.Lamont
Also called spotted Joe-Pye weed. Synonyms: Eupatorium maculatum.
Tall wetland perennial with purple-spotted stems and broad, flat-topped mauve flower heads that draw swallowtails and bees in late summer. Gives height to the back of rain gardens and wet meadows.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 1.2–2.1 m (4–7 ft) tall and 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft) wide; fast growth, about 2 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.45) from the #1 install size.
Bloom
Mauve-purple flowers, Jul–Sep (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotted Joe-Pye weed : Jul–Sep |
Design notes
- Cut stems back by about a third in early June for shorter, sturdier plants.
- Wilts quickly in drought; best where soil stays moist all summer.
- For small gardens use the compact Little Joe (Eutrochium dubium) instead.
Regions
Native range: Northern U.S. and southern Canada, south in the Appalachians to North Carolina and Tennessee.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
In the guides
Spotted Joe-Pye weed comes up in this guide:
Related plants
Try Spotted Joe-Pye weed in a plan
Opens your own copy of a finished sample garden in the planner with Spotted Joe-Pye weed ready to place; the planner checks it against that garden’s zone, light and moisture.
Plan with Spotted Joe-Pye weed
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.