Home - Garden
The Blue-Flowering Shrub That'll Help Your Joe Pye Weed Thrive
By PEG ALOI
Joe Pye weed is a common native plant whose towering stalks topped with gorgeous mauve flowers are a lovely sight in summer. To ensure it thrives, plant it alongside caryopteris.
The two plants are great companions because, as Joe Pye's flowers start to fade, the bright blue flowers of caryopteris shrubs bloom, which are particularly enticing to honeybees.
Additionally, the majestic Joe Pye weed looks striking alongside the shorter, more rounded caryopteris, which grows up to 3 feet tall and comes in a few varieties.
Both plants like full sun and require rich, loamy, neutral soil with a pH between 6 and 8. They also attract many pollinators and benefit from some pruning in autumn.