Маленький сорт Joe Pye weed: как голландский селекционер адаптировал гигантское растение для небольших садов

David Hobson says the Joe Pye plant is a “large, wheel-like shape of the flower head, while the species name of purpureum — purple, is an easy one because it describes the purply-pink colour.” Joe Pye weed, a native plant named after Mohican leader Joe Pye, is now known as Eupatorium purpureum. A large, purple-flowering plant attracting pollinators, with a smaller variety Baby Joe bred by Dutch horticulturist Hubertus Oudshoorn. David Hobson is a Waterloo-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Record. Email: [email protected]. Two people three centuries apart are connected to a plant I’m growing. The first person is Joe Pye, and gardeners and botanists will know him from Joe Pye weed, one of our popular native plants. Joe was Joseph Shauquethqueat, a Mohican tribal leader in New England. I suspect his name was a challenge to colonists in the 18th century so he was simply known as Joe Pye. His connection to the plant is possibly because it was believed to have medicinal properties. Maybe Joseph suggested it as a cure for kidney stones or a troublesome urinary system, which just happened to give relief to early settlers who were up at night every hour looking for a tree. If that was found to help, it would have been a good reason to honour Joseph by giving the plant his name, a name that has remained for almost 300 years. Although Joe Pye weed is a common name that has firmly stuck, the plant was eventually given the formal name of Eupatorium purpureum. The genus name, sourced from Greek, refers to the large, wheel-like shape of the flower head, while the species name of purpureum — purple, is an easy one because it describes the purply-pink colour. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW If you have one in your garden it will already be flowering and will continue until frost. Meanwhile, it will be feeding all the frequent flyers that are drawn to it for pollen and nectar, while the leaves will be food for the larvae of certain moths. It grows best in mostly full sun where the soil stays damp, even on the wet side, so close to a leaky pond would be a good location. Joe Pye weed (bearing in mind that a weed is only a plant in the wrong place) is hard to miss because it can grow to well over two metres high and a metre and a half wide. It may need staking because of the height and it can be aggressive. Because of the size and nature of growth, it might not be suitable for a small garden of native plants or squeezed in a flowerbed with ornamentals. However, if you want to do your bit for the pollinators, this is where the other person connected with Joe Pye weed comes in. He is Hubertus Gerardus Oudshoorn, a Dutch horticulturist and breeder of a wide range of ornamental-plants about 40 years ago. Apart from his name in patent listings, there’s not much of a CV to be found for Hubertus, or even if he’s still living. What he did leave us with is a Joe Pye weed that will fit in a smaller garden, and I have one happily growing in mine. Called Baby Joe, the name is appropriate as it’s a much smaller plant. Hubertus produced it by crossing unnamed varieties of Eupatorium purpureum, and that resulted in a plant with an upright and compact growth habit about half the size of the original. I hope mine stays that way because things are already crowded here, but the bees aren’t complaining. Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details DH David Hobson is a Waterloo-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Record. Your gift purchase was successful!Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. You will also start receiving the Welland Tribune's free morning newsletter soon.