~SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

[sumisu]

Here are my two favorite plants to attract bees.

Agastache (Hummingbird Mint)

[Two varieties shown; I have the top variety]]





Most gardeners know Agastache as anise hyssop, the spiky, blue-flowered plant that smells like anise or licorice. Anise hyssop is a versatile plant that will attract plenty of butterflies in its own right, but there is more variety out there in the world of Agastache. 'Ava' belongs to a group of Agastache commonly called the Hummingbird Mints. The pinkish red flowers start blooming in late summer and stay blooming for weeks. They even seem to get more intense in color as the season progresses. The Agastache pictured here was labeled something like 'Root Beer', but I'm told by David Salman, the plantsman who bred Agastache x 'Ava', that it is actually Agastache rupestris (Licorice Mint Hyssop), a wildflower species from AZ and northern Mexico. It's odd to think a nursery in NY is selling Southwestern wildflowers, but I'm happy to report it is thriving here and is always a showstopper on garden tours.

Agastache are hardy, drought tolerant, low maintenance plants, but they need to get acclimated before they really take off. They like a rich soil and seem to over winter better if you don't cut them back until spring. Once established, you'll become an addict and want every new Agastache that comes on the market. Once the butterflies are done with them, you can cut them for dried flowers, as well.

Agastache x 'Ava' (USDA Zones 5 - 10, 4' x 2', Rose & Red Blooms: Repeat Bloomer)

Alternatives:

Centranthus ruber (Jupiter's Beard) 'Coccineus' (USDA Zones 4 - 9, 30" x 30", Rose-Red Blooms: Repeat Bloomer)

Knautia macedonica (USDA Zones 5 - 10, 2' x 2', Dark Purplish-Red Blooms: Repeat Bloomer) Note: 6.6 to 8.0 (neutral - alkaline soil) Knautia is a tall, floppy plants, but will weave between other flowers easily. Gets large fast.

Note: David Salman's catalog High Country Gardens is still the best place to shop for Agastache. (If you can't make it to his Sante Fe Greenhouses, in New Mexico.)

AND

Joe Pye Weed Stands Tall in the Garden





By Linda Naeve
Extension Coordinator
Reiman Gardens

The foliage and stems of most herbaceous perennial garden plants die back to the ground in late fall, while their root systems live from year to year. These plants put on new growth every spring, starting from below the soil surface to reach their mature height. For some plants, like this week's Reiman's Pick - Joe Pye weed - require a lot of growth in a short period of time.

Joe Pye weed is one of the tallest plants in the perennial border. By mid-summer, it reaches its mature height of at least 6 feet. That means it grows at least 72 inches by mid-summer - approximately one inch per day! In July, large 12- to 18-inch diameter flower clusters form on the ends of the stems. Joe Pye weed blooms from late July through fall and is a magnet for monarchs, swallowtails and dozens of other butterflies in search of its sweet nectar.

The foliage on Joe Pye weed is also large and attractive. Three to five long leaves radiate from a central location on the stem to form a whorl.

Joe Pye weed, Eupatorium purpureum, is a North American native found in moist woods and meadows from southern Canada to Florida and west to Texas. It is hardy from USDA Zones 4 - 9 and grows in full sun to partial shade. Joe Pye weed prefers moist, average to rich soils. It will tolerate wet soil conditions, but not dry sites. It does not perform well during hot, dry summers and its blooms are more colorful when the days are mildly warm and the nights are cool.

Because of its size, Joe Pye weed adds a lot of structure to a perennial garden. It makes a great background plant, but requires a lot of room to grow. It offers a beautiful contrast when planted with other late summer garden attractions such as ornamental grasses, rudbeckia and asters.

Joe Pye weed is an unusual name for an ornamental plant that does not have "weed-like" tendencies. Legend tells us that it was named after an American Indian named Joe Pye, who was said to have cured typhus with it. Joe Pye weed has also been called "purple boneset" because the stems are purple at the joints.

The leaves and roots of Joe Pye weed have been used throughout the years as an alternative medicine. It has been said to help with from everything rheumatism and urinary problems to fluid retention.

Although Eupatorium purpureum is the native species, many Joe Pye weed plants sold by the nursery industry are probably E. maculatum. It has more attractive foliage and the flower heads contain nearly twice as many flowers. 'Gateway' is popular cultivar for home gardens because it is somewhat shorter and produces large mauve-pink flowers at the top of reddish-purple stems.

Joe Pye weed is in full bloom in the Patty Jischke Children's Garden at Reiman Gardens. It is so big and bold that it cannot be missed.

To learn more about the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University visit us on the Web at: http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/.