Dividing & Transplanting Joe Pye Weed

A major job that I dreaded this fall was digging up, dividing and transplanting  Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum). 

One of my favorite perennials, it makes a commanding statement in the garden. A clump of tall erect stems with puffy pink flowers appear in late summer. In fall, the leaves are a bright yellow.

It started out innocently enough...

In 2017 (it was either planted that year or the year before), it was tall by autumn but only five or six stalks...

Two years later, much taller (7 feet!) and wider but manageable (I'm sure we had cut away at the sides)...

And last year (2022), starting to spread...

This year it has not been that attractive and apparently, I did not even photograph it. The blooms were short-lived, and the plant is sprawling.  Time for action!

I had longed thought that the plant was too large for the area where it is located. So I decided that I move it to another area of the garden.

After cutting the canes back about half-way (I did this a few weeks ago), I started digging around the clump. It wasn't really that bad as the plant is not too deep-rooted, it is just wide. Having a bum knee didn't help matters much.

After almost falling into the thing and poking my eyes out, I decided to cut the stalks down all the way to the ground. Much better!

I was going nowhere with attempting to divide the clump with my shovel. "Christina, bring me the axe!"

This worked much better and I divided the entire clump into three pieces. This should probably be divided even further. They are so heavy!

A newly planted clump just in time for soaking rains overnight...

It will be interesting to see how this does in its new home. It was in a damp spot previously and they do like moisture. This area is a drier location although we water a lot. Until next season!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy