Eupatorium dubium Baby Joe

Eupatorium dubium 'Baby Joe' is a hybrid eupatorium selection that stands out for its rather compact habit and abundant flowering in shades of pink to mauve. This perennial forms a beautiful clump of leafy stems adorned, from July to September, with large inflorescences composed of tiny flowers that are loved by bees and butterflies. It thrives in moist to wet soil and is particularly well-suited for pond borders. Its fuzzy and delicate appearance gives the garden a touch of rustic charm, and its flowers attract numerous butterflies. It is also a great flower for cutting.

The 'Baby Joe' Eupatorium is a horticultural variety discovered in Rijpwetering, Netherlands, in 2003. It is an herbaceous perennial from the aster family. It is derived, among others, from Eupatorium dubium, now renamed Eutrochium dubium. The latter is a botanical species native to eastern North America, extremely hardy, and typically found in wet areas such as sandy marshes, riverbanks, and wet thickets.

'Baby Joe' forms a dense clump of upright and sturdy, dark coloured stems reaching 60 to 90 cm in height and 40 to 50 cm in width. The stems bear very dark green leaves that are 5 to 15 cm long, elliptical, strongly veined, coarsely toothed at the edges, arranged in whorls of 3 to 4. Flowering begins in July, earlier or later depending on the climate, and continues until September. It consists of hundreds of small fluffy heads tightly packed in generous rounded corymbs or terminal clusters that can reach 15 cm in diameter. This late flowering is nectar-rich, attracting numerous pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, precious for enhancing the garden in August and September. After pollination, the flowers produce numerous small seeds with bristles that are dispersed by the wind. Lightweight and decorative, they dry attractively for winter. All the above-ground vegetation of the plant is deciduous in winter. The leafy stems of the eupatorium reappear quite late in spring.

Eupatorium dubium 'Baby Joe' thrives in any soil that remains moist, in a sunny or slightly shaded location, and it is a nectar-rich plant. It finds a place at the edge of water features, but also in cottage flower beds in moist soil. It can be paired, for example, with bugbanes, Meadow-rues, and Goat's Beards, which are equally robust and hardy perennials that thrive in similar environments. It is also stunning in flower beds and bouquets with waterside asters.