Eupatorium rugosum Lucky Melody

Eupatorium 'Lucky Melody' is a new hybrid variety that stands out with its compact habit and white flowering. This lovely perennial plant forms a beautiful clump of dark green leafy stems. From late summer to early autumn, it is adorned with large fluffy bouquets composed of tiny white and fuzzy flowers that are popular with bees and butterflies. It is accustomed to cool and humid areas, and thrives in pond borders. Its fuzzy and airy appearance gives the garden a wild touch, and its flowers last a long time in a vase. 

Eupatorium 'Lucky Melody' ('Allmelody') is an herbaceous perennial of the Asteraceae family. It is derived, among others, from Eupatorium rugosum, a superb botanical species native to North America. It is extremely hardy, and has adapted to cool and moist soils. This plant, also known as rough eupatorium, is now renamed Ageratina altissima.

'Lucky Melody' often takes 1 to 2 years to establish. It develops into a dense clump of upright and sturdy stems, reaching about 50cm (20in) in all directions. The stems bear leaves that are 5 to 12cm (2 to 5in) long and 3 to 7cm (1 to 3in) wide. They are generally triangular with toothed edges, and are arranged in an opposite manner. Their colour is a very dark green. The stems rise up until late summer, usually in August, when flowering begins. These are hundreds of small fluffy heads that cluster together in generous corymbs or terminal bouquets that can reach 15cm (6in) in diameter. This flowering is nectar-rich and attracts many pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies. Somewhat late, it is valuable for enhancing a garden in August and September. After pollination, the flowers produce numerous small seeds with bristles that will be dispersed by the wind. Lightweight and decorative, they add charm to the dry inflorescences in winter. All the above-ground vegetation of the plant is deciduous in winter. The stems of the eupatorium reappear quite late in spring.

Eupatorium rugosum 'Lucky Melody' is content with any soil that remains moist and a sunny to semi-shady position. It finds its place on the shores of water sources, and also in wildflower beds or on the edge of groves, in heavy and moist soil. For example, it can be planted with bugbanes, meadow-rues, and goatsbeards, which are all beautiful and equally robust and hardy perennials that appreciate the same environments.  It is gorgeous in a wild garden accompanied by its taller relative Eupatorium cannabinum 'Plenum' with double flowers.