​Spring is here….well, kinda here.  It literally snowed yesterday! The cold April weather makes me second guess if it’s actually spring, but officially it is.  So, it’s time to start posting about some of my favorite native plants to put in your yard.  My first pick this 2016 is Joe Pye Weed, named after a New England man that once used it to cure the sick.  Joe Pye Weed is one of the most attractive, low maintenance native plants you could ever own.  Depending on the species you use, it blooms pink or purple and can grow as tall as 8 feet. The leaves are a beautiful green and can get as long as 12inches.  It naturalizes in a yard with awesome results.  This is because it spreads in two ways by both rhizomes and self-seeding.  You can also divide it into new plantings after 2 to 3 years of establishment. Plant it and let it go wild.  You’ll rediscover how much you love it every summer.
Joe Pye Weed performs well in full sun and part shade.  It likes moist soil and makes an ideal candidate for rain gardens or wetter areas of a property.  It is native from Florida to Maine and up into Canada and as far west as Oklahoma. 

Two Names, One Plant
There’s a little confusion between which species is the best species to use.  If you google the plant, you’ll discover that some sources refer to it as “Eutrochium” while other sources call it “Eupatorium”.  Don’t let this stop you from the adventure of using it in your yard.  There are many species of Joe Pye and even a couple genus, but to help out I will give you my suggestions for specific species to make your quest of purple/pink bliss easier.
I almost exclusively one of the following species: Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe' (grows 3 to 4ft tall), Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum 'Gateway' (grows 5 to 6ft tall), Eupatorium fistulosum (grows 5 to 8ft tall), or Eupatorium x 'Phantom' (grows 3ft tall).  I prefer the tallest of these options because I love how they express such a pink, purply color and have for an exciting rain garden detail.  But not every yard or situation needs 7 to 8 feet of native perennial.

​Design Eye for the Joe Pye Weed Guy
Use Joe Pye Weed as much or as little as you want.  When I use the plant in designs I always include it as transitions within a yard.  For example, I use it at the entrance of a gate or at the corner of a house or at the edge of a backyard. At the entrance of a gate, the height and color pulls you into the space with enthusiasm.  At the corner of a house, it hints to things to come around the corner.  It invites you to explore what’s next to see.  In these instances, I may use one, two or three plants to spice up the space.  At the edge of a backyard, I plant as many as I can possibly fit.  A full bed of Joe Pye accompanied by a few Jacob Cline flowers or some coneflowers (use Kim’s Knee High or PowWow Wildberry) or even a rich colored groundcover like phlox can turn a boring fence or boundary into a wonderland of nature where birds and butterflies buzz around with excitement. 

Jump Start
With the cool wet days of April we’ve had will let you plant Joe Pye Weed and let its roots start to establish itself for the potential hot and dry summer ahead.  If you are planning a rain garden, make sure to add it to your list of plants to get. 

I started working with a family in South Orange on a full master plan of their yard.  The project included an assortment of elements, but the central theme was play.  They wanted to create a yard that invited play around every corner with the caveat it needed to be adult friendly as well. 

​Being a parent really redefines “adult” and “kid” spaces.  I watch in amazement as my kids make every single inch of my house into a playground.  Couches are spaceships, airplanes, forts and hiding places.  A normal bedroom becomes the location of galactic journeys into the universe and blaster battles of stormtroopers versus Jedi.  The same can be said for outdoor spaces.  A backyard has the potential to completely engulf a child’s imagination.  All that’s needed is some creative approaches to landscape, and of course, a healthy dose of sustainable practices.  
 
The yard I am working with is a large, fairly flat space.  The flatness with the size makes it feel empty.  It’s good for sports, but ignores the possibility of imagination niches for children.
 
Tall grasses can act as walls and tunnel.  A change in topography can be a mountain, fort, back of a dinosaur or a thousand other things.  The uses of native plants allow backyards to transform into adult relaxation spots as well as educational opportunities for kids to experience nature and ecology. 

​In the spirit of a couch as toy, I talked to the owners about creating new topography in the yard.  I wanted to make grassy mounds that are easy to install and has the ability to become whatever their kids wanted them to be.  I had also seen a big double-walled corrugated pipe at the Willow School and suggested we add earth tunnels to the mix.  The earth tunnels would fit easily into the new topography.

​I also selected tall grasses like Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' and plants like Joe Pye Weed for specific areas so that the flora would create boundaries for the eye and make spaces feel more full as well as make spaces that kids could explore. 

​Lastly, we developed the idea of playhouse twins; two identical playhouses set opposite each other connected by a cargo net and monkey bars.  The plantings would surround the playhouses giving it a more exotic feel.  We even added climbing walls to the outside walls for a little extra challenge. 

​The first thing the clients said when seeing the playhouses was “That’d be an awesome place to sit and have my morning coffee”.  There’s a kid in all of us just waiting to play too.  Sometimes, by focusing on play and sustainability, age appropriate landscape design turns into fun for all.