2000 Theodore Klein Plant Award Winner

Joe Pye Weed is a relatively famous roadside plant in Kentucky. Eupatorium purpureumthe wild flower tends to be quite tall, 7 feet, and to have smaller blooms in the shady environs where frequently seen, but when seen in the fall garden it's large compound pink-purple blooms make a dramatic impact. Kurt Bluemel, http://www.bluemel.com , 2740 Greene Lane, Baldwin, MD 21013, known as the "Founding Father of the (Ornamental) Grass Movement" selected the cultivar 'Gateway'. It is shorter, at 5 feet tall, in full sun conditions and has reddish stems. Shorter distances between nodes result in a tight bush-like appearance. The blooms are large, thick and tighter than the roadside plant. 'Gateway' is spectacular when seen in bloom in the late summer-fall garden and is easily propagated by tip cuttings from non-flowering shoots and division in the spring and fall.