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Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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Posted by christie_sw_mo Z6 (My Page) on Fri, Aug 4, 06 at 15:24
| I was thinking about looking for 'Little Joe' Joe Pye Weed seeds or seedlings if the seedlings stay short like the parent. I'm also wondering if this plant attracts butterflies and if it has red in the stems. I've only seen native(I think) Joe Pye weed and like it but it gets too tall. If I read right, I think Little Joe is a different species, not just a short version of the same plant. That's why I'm wondering whether it would work as well for butterflies. Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Beware! my Little Joe is about 6' tall if unpruned. I cut most of it down to about 2-3' early July. I get lots of butterflies in general. I can't say for sure if they go to that plant... probably. can't say about seedlings either, but it does fill out well. My 2 plants from '04 are a very good sized patch now. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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Well I was hoping I could find a Joe Pye weed short enough so that I could SEE the butterflies that are landing on it. I'm not surprised that it gets bigger than they claim. That seems to be the case with a lot of "dwarf" plants. If it's not going to stay small, maybe I would be just as well off to get the plain ol' native one. ???
Still wondering if Little Joe has red in the stems and if it's an exceptional butterfly plant. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| You could cut it back multiple times early in the season to keep it short enough to see the butterflies... that's true of the species and the cultivars. I have no idea about the answers to your other two questions, though. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Here's a pic of mine. THe one on the left was not cut down at all. The plants on the right look like a totally different plant, but they are not. It looks like the tall stems get more sun exposure and perhaps that's why they are red??? Native pyeweed will be MUCH taller. 
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RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| My 'Little Joe' is also taller than 4'. And butterflies and bees do tend to flock to mine. It is much more tolerant to moisture deprivation and heat. My 'Gateway' went crispy on me and is going dormant as a result. I'll have to move it closer to my pond this fall. Beware of seedlings (they self sow everywhere). I am cultivating some seedlings as an experiment. Most tend to be susceptible to powdery mildew and are shorter. A few, however, are turning out to be very handsome and taller, flowers starting lower on the stems going all the way up, and do not have PM, even being next to the ones that do. I am discarding the inferior ones and will see what the others do next year. Who knows, maybe they will become a new cultivar in the future!! The native Joe-Pye Weeds in my area and not nearly as nice-looking as the cultivars. Mark |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| You may consider Eupatorium coelestinum 'Wayside' which is in the same family (and has butterfly attracting power) but stays under 2 feet tall. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Wendy - thank you for the pics. It did make a big difference to cut back. Maybe a good idea to leave some to get some early blooms like you did. How much sun does yours get? Mark - I am sooo glad to hear it's drought tolerant. I've had to water my Eupatorium 'Chocolate' regularly since it's been so dry here and I was wondering how tough Little Joe would be. I would like to get some seeds or seedlings from Little Joe if anyone would like to email me. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Christie, mine gets sun from about 11-5 and the soil is fairly rich and moist. It will also be interesting to see how tall the ones on the right eventually get when they finally bloom. I think last year when I cut them back, they caught up to close to the original size before the season was over. This year I cut them back harder and earlier. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Hi ya Christie!!! Long time no talk! I grew Joe Pye Weed for the first time this year, though I have been photographing it at the botanical gardens for years. I seen 'Little Joey' this year, and it was every bit of 5 foot tall. Made me wonder just how tall mine are supposed to get! I planted several of mine (indoor started from seed) and pinched them a couple times throughout the season, and they ae only about 3 foot tall,maybe less and are smothered with blooms and butterflies! I also planted in part sun, which makes a considerable difference compared to ones in full sun. Since it was a perennial I didnt do too much homework on, I didnt expect it to bloom the first year, so I just kept pinching it. Low and behold, it is blooming profusely! One thing I am curious of, some of the blooms are white, some are purple. And I dont mean the different stages of bloom some are loaded with almost spent blooms, and they are snow white. Wasnt expecting this! I say, pinch yours throughout the season, maybe plant in part sun to keep them shorter. I'll take a pic if I get a minute. Take care Christie! |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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| Thanks Wendy! Hi Ellen! I'm glad to hear they'll still bloom in time for August butterflies even when you pinch them back. I think there must be more than one species of Eupatorium called Joe Pye Weed. Do you know which one you have? It would be nice to observe different varieties at the botanical gardens to see which ones the butterflies prefer. |
RE: Does anyone have Little Joe babies yet?
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Christie,
I happened to have my camera handy when I saw this: 
Worth noting is there is a butterfly bush in bloom about 15' away and he (she?) chose Little Joe! My cut down ones are still not close to blooming. I see very tight buds. But it will be nice to have some late color too. Its almost like having two plants! I'm so glad I left a small 5' section unpruned to bloom now. Also, I was in there today weeding and saw no seedlings. fwiw. |
Baby Joe babies
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Update : ) - I decided to order BABY Joe which is supposed to be shorter than Little Joe (I think). It's sort of new but maybe someone will have some comments on that one.
I have winter sowed some seeds from Gateway but they haven't come up yet. I may have been better off to wait and collect seeds from Baby Joe later. Little Joe and Baby Joe are cultivars of the species dubium. |
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