Unsteady Eupatorium

My Eupatorium 'Baby Joe' seems quite unstable. I 'staked' it in two places to stop it flopping about in the strong winds we had here recently, but don't think that was a good idea now as it lost a branch due to wind. Should I remove the support and perhaps instead raise the soil level with John Innes to where the top of my finger is to add stability, or is that a bad idea? I potted it in two-thirds MPC and a third John Innes 3 as I didn't have enough of the latter at the time. No experience of growing these so I'm truly clueless here! HELP!

Thanks,

Nick

 

Hi

Its a great choice of plant .... If me I would put the 3 or 4 canes around the edge of the pot and use a soft string to loop around once or twice and just let it get on with it ... keep out the strong winds it will toughen up with age aslo likes a semi shaded spot ... and it has been very windy lateley I think we have had some damage to plants etc , pinch out the tops to encourage shoots lower down to sprout out , like lots of water so dont let it dry out ...

Spruce

 

No, don’t replant or raise the soil level Nick. For the rest of this year, I would cut all those stems back by half. It would stop the plant from rocking and would initiate shoots from below. The plant is actually still finding its feet and should in future produce stronger wood

For next year I would pinch out the new stems to produce stockier growth.

I would also grow this plant “hard” .....thus not too much feeding or watering.

 

Sorry Spruce...we crossed there

Let me explain my thought processes here.....yes, eupatorium likes moisture but my reason for suggesting less water is for the stems to grow less lush next year.

Cutting the stems next year....it dies down in autumn anyway .....is rather like the Chelsea chop and the reason for it, viz., to produce sturdier wind resistant growth.

Supporting the stems now, I think, only facilitates more tall growth her that growth will soon die down.....better I feel to let the roots develop now

 

Thanks for the prompt and useful replies Spruce and Verdun, feel a bit less anxious about the situation now! I'm impatient and want to see what the flowers look like in the flesh, so I think I'll cut down the stems by half just after these three are done flowering to let it concentrate on root growth. Spruce is right about it liking/tolerating partial shade when established but my instinct ATM is that it needs as much sun as possible so I have now moved it to the front of the patio from the middle, wouldn't that help it to get stiffer/woodier? You have both advised pinching out the tips next year so I shall definitely do that!

Thanks Spruce, I heard it was loved by butterflies and the flowers looked really nice in the photos. I have been toying with the idea of growing Eupatorium purpureum for a while now but it's a bit too tall for my tiny garden and would look out of place I think, this seems like a much better 'fit'.

Thanks again guys, much appreciated as I know next to nothing about these!

Nick