Eupatorium coelestinum

Eupatorium coelestinum

Mistflower grows to 3 feet high, but often lower, with leaves opposite, somewhat triangular in shape, and bluntly toothed. At the top of the plant the branches, with their short-stemmed clusters of flowers, form an almost flat top. Disk flowers are bright blue or violet, about 1/4 inch long. There are no ray flowers.Conditions Comments: Blue mistflower is good as a border plant or as a colonizing groundcover. The fluffy-edged flowers are a magnet for late-season butterflies. It also spreads quickly and can become a pest.Eupatorium coelestinum is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and the type species of the genus Eupatorium.

Plant

Commonly called mistflower, this late summer to fall-blooming herbaceous perennial is native to the Eastern United States. It looks like the annual ageratum and in that regard is sometimes commonly called hardy ageratum. It is a showy native plant that is considered a weed in the coastal plain, growing along roadsides on moist ditch banks. Under cultivation, it becomes a choice perennial with 8 weeks of blue flowers from late summer until frost. It is nectar-rich and pollinators love it.This plant prefers moist humusy soils that do not dry out in full sun to partial shade areas. Purplish stems have toothed deltoid leaves. Blueish purple flowers are fluffy, tubular (to 1/ 2” across). Cut back taller plants in spring to prevent flopping.

This is a great plant to consider for a wildflower garden or naturalized area, does especially well around pond borders as long as spreading roots will not affect other plants. It is not recommended for smaller planting areas as it spreads aggressively by its rhizomes and self-seeding. Propagate by clump division in early spring. This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer.Resembling a lovely blue-purple fog when found in dense stands, the disk flowers form in clusters of 35-70 at the tops of stems in late summer and autumn, attracting late-season butterflies. It will spread so should be planted with caution in small landscape situations. Insects that feed on Eupatorium species (Bonesets) may also use Mistflower as a host plant.These species include Haploa clymene (Clymene Moth), Phragmatobia lineata (Lined Ruby Tiger Moth), and the Schinia trifacia (Three-Lined Flower Moth). (Source: www.prairiemoon.com)