SWEET JOE PYE WEED, BONESET Eupatorium purpureum
This Joe Pye Weed is taller, more colorful, and more fragrant than common Joe Pye Weed! Also, it has lower water requirements, so it grows well in average garden soil.
Type: Perennial
Height: 80", 200cm
Location: Sun or part sun
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Note: Although the Joe-Pye nectar is an excellent food-source for butterflies, the plants are seeds are poisonous to people and animals. Keep in a safe place.
Seeds per pack: 20
Germination: As with many perennial seeds, these seeds can benefit from a period of moist cold to help them break dormancy. This is done by giving them a cold 'winter' period (artificial or natural), and then a warming to simulate 'spring', and time to grow! Here's how this can be done:
Obtain a planting container that has holes in the bottom for excess water to drain. Place the seeds just under the surface of your growing medium, and water. Place your container in a cold area (but not freezing, perhaps a refrigerator) for 4-6 weeks. Once the cold period is completed, place the container at room temperature for them to germinate. Be sure to keep the soil moist during this entire germination period. Seedlings will sprout a few weeks, or occasionally several months, after the warming period.
If you are planting your seeds in late winter or spring, these seeds can be planted outdoors while it is still cool out (once the ground is workable and unfrozen), to receive the cold period naturally in the garden. It is best to use this method only if you are able to keep the soil moist for the entire germination period. Be sure to label the planting area.
