I was admiring the Rose Garden this morning, from lilies to roses to the giant Joe Pye Weed. Everyone is enjoying all the color from roses, Caladiums, and lilies. I had my eye on two Joe Pye Weeds, already six feet tall and loaded with buds.
Wait a minute. I looked back and forth. One was a genuine Joe Pye. The neighbor was a Poke Weed. They had a similar shape and height, identical color, a deep green, sprawling branches soaking up solar energy (soon to be banned or taxed by Joe Biden).
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| The Poke buds look like this now, but still green. |
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| Those green Poke buds turn red and become juicy but almost tasteless berries. |
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| Pollinators help the process as the green turns to white and then red. |
The giveaway is the bud formation now, the fruit later. Then the bushes really depart from each other. Poke will turn the white baby buds into berries loved by birds. The Joe Pye will have scented compound flowers.
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| Joe Pye buds are quite different from Poke. They form compound flowers with a vanilla scent. Butterflies and Hummingbirds love them. |
Some will shout, "Cut down the Poke Weed." As long as it is growing, it is fertilizing the soil and providing food for the birds. If it is too much of a bully, I can cut some of it at the base and let more sunshine in.
The Joe Pye can be trimmed back too, but is now in its most valuable stage as it goes into bloom.
