yarrow, joe pye weed, stonecrop sedum

[Anonymous]

From a newbie's perspective, these all look fairly similar. Are there benefits of one vs the other? Thinking of planting catmint along a sidewalk border, and planting these (or maybe brown eyed susans) as companion plants for the catmint. Preference for lower maintenance.

[Anonymous]

This do not seem at all similar to me. They are all native, though.

If you trying to go native, bear in mind that catmint is not native, but it not invasive as far as I know. It is also pretty low maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This do not seem at all similar to me. They are all native, though.

If you trying to go native, bear in mind that catmint is not native, but it not invasive as far as I know. It is also pretty low maintenance.

Thanks. Yeah, catmint seems to be pretty hardy, attract pollinators, and not invasive.

For the others, I think some of the photos look more similar than others, but digging deeper I can see the differences. I think sedum will probably be the right choice. Joe pye weed looks to grow fairly tall, yarrow a bit floofy.

[Anonymous]

Sedum is low-growing; my JP week is about 8 feet tall! They serve really different purposes in the yard. I love all those plants.

[Anonymous]

^^Joe Pye WEED obv

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sedum is low-growing; my JP week is about 8 feet tall! They serve really different purposes in the yard. I love all those plants.

Thanks! I hadn't originally considered the height, so I'm glad you confirmed this. JPW would definitely be too tall for what I need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From a newbie's perspective, these all look fairly similar. Are there benefits of one vs the other? Thinking of planting catmint along a sidewalk border, and planting these (or maybe brown eyed susans) as companion plants for the catmint. Preference for lower maintenance.

These are not really the same, or even similar. Joe Pye can grow quite tall (which is why I chelsea chop mine). But the pollinators and birds LOOOOOVE it.

Black-eyed susans are wonderful and bloom for a long time. Mine are covered in pollinators. They do spread easily though. I also keep some of them in large pots.

[Anonymous]

Joe Pye isn't going to be great out by a sidewalk due to the height and, relatedly, how it droops over once it gets really tall. It does look nice near structures, though.

[Anonymous]

They all have different bloom times.

[Anonymous]

I have had stonecrop in my front garden for decades. It grows so well that I no longer use mulch - the stonecrop fills in like a carpet. Just as easy to plant as it is to remove. I started with a handful of stonecrop from a former neighbor who advised me to simply toss it like chicken feed and it would grow.

[Anonymous]

Deer love sedums if that’s an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deer love sedums if that’s an issue.

Another pro in the stonecrop column - it’s deer proof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Deer love sedums if that’s an issue.

Another pro in the stonecrop column - it’s deer proof.

Sedum is stonecrop.

[Anonymous]

I have baby Joe Pye weed which is supposed to be dwarf variety but still tall. The swallowtail butterflies love it and will spend 30 minutes on this plant. It’s amazing to watch.

I think Tiarella is a gorgeous low growing perennial.

[Anonymous]

I have a Joe pye cultivar, I think it’s “little Joe.” Baby Joe? Anyway it’s great and has never flopped. It’s still at least 3ft tall though.

“Real” Joe pye weed is super tall.