This compact cultivar of Eutrochium dubium offers the same beauty and ecological benefits as larger Joe pyes, but in a smaller package. The long-lived perennial grows 2 to 4 feet tall with a tidy, erect habit and large clusters of late-summer, light purple flowers. Monarchs, swallowtails, and multitudes of bees and other pollinators are regular visitors to the pollen- and nectar-rich blooms. Sturdy, purple stems and wrinkled, green leaves bring an interesting architecture to the landscape. ‘Little Joe’ is easily grown in a wide range of average to moist soils in full or part sun. With its small stature and preference for well-drained, moist soils, it’s an obvious choice for rain gardens, borders of water features, and smaller spaces with moist or occasionally wet soils. 
 
‘Little Joe’ is a cultivar of Eutrochium dubium, also known as coastal plain Joe pye weed, which grows about a foot taller than the more compact cultivar. E. dubium is native to the wetlands and eastern coastal plains of North America. According to Missouri Botanical Garden,  ‘Little Joe’ was discovered growing among seedlings of E. dubium at a nursery in Pennsylvania. It’s primarily distinguished from the straight species by a stiffer, more upright, and more compact growth habit; more compact, light lavender flower panicles; and greater drought tolerance. In a study by the Chicago Botanic Garden, ‘Little Joe’ received an excellent rating for displaying “superior flower production, consistently robust habits, strong disease [powdery mildew] resistance, and winter hardiness throughout the evaluation term.” The study authors noted that ‘Little Joe’ grew to 5 feet tall in full sunlight and clay-loam soil amended with leaf litter. The cultivar tends to be more drought tolerant than the straight-native species.
 
The genus name is derived from the Greek words eu, meaning “well,” and troche, meaning “wheel-like,” in reference to the whorled leaves. The specific epithet from Latin means “doubtful.” Some sources say Joe pye weed was named for Joseph Shauquethqueat, a Mohican born in 1722 near present-day Albany, New York. Colonists shortened his surname to “Pye,” which was a common practice when Indigenous leaders signed documents. Read more about the man behind the plant at https://theplantnative.com/plant/joe-pye-weed/.
 
Native habitats include swamps, marshes, bogs, wet meadows, damp thickets, open woodlands, roadsides and ditches, and stream margins. ‘Little Joe’ pairs beautifully with coneflowers, garden phlox, sunflowers, and grasses. Plant in large containers on patios or porches. The foliage is deer and rabbit resistant. The plant is tolerant of proximity to black walnut trees.
 
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 2-4' (sometimes 5') tall and 1-3’ wide. 
 
Grows in full or part sun.
 
Prefers moist soils, including humusy, sandy, clay, and gravelly, and tolerates occasional wet or dry conditions. 
 
Domed, 4-12” panicles composed of compound flowers bloom early August-September at the ends of central stems. Each compound flower has 5-10 feathery disk florets (rays absent) with tubular corollas; several overlapping series of bracts; and conspicuous, white styles. Tan, bullet-shaped achenes with small tufts of hair are dispersed by the wind October-November.
 
Lance-shaped, dark green leaves are coarsely serrated arranged in whorls of 3-4 around purple stems.
 
Wildlife Value:
Host plant for larvae of 32 Lepidoptera species, including clymene moth, dusky and red groundling moths, eyed thyris, and five specialist moths. Flowers provide nectar and pollen for numerous bees, butterflies, skippers, hoppers, leaf beetles, and other beneficial insects that, in turn, serve as food for birds and other predators. Seed heads attract birds for food and for nesting materials. The bitter foliage deters deer.
 
Resources:
Chicago Botanic Garden: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no37_joepyeweed.pdf
Missouri Botanical Garden: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b781
NWF: https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/Plants/1284