Eupatorium sordidum

<p class="western"><strong>Eupatorium is a large perennial notable for its</strong> <b>elegant</b> <b>summer</b> <b>flowering</b> in corymbs of pink, purple, or white flowers. This light and airy flowering, with a more or less blurred appearance, stands out against deep green foliage, which is all the more striking as it contrasts with the intense purple of the sturdy upright stems. The genus also includes a <b>sublime variety with chocolate-coloured foliage</b>: <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-rugosum-chocolate.html"><i>Eupatorium rugosum</i> ‘Chocolate’</a>.</p> <p class="western">The bushy habit of eupatoriums, reaching up to 2 m high for the giant <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-maculatum-atropurpureum.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>E. maculatum</i> ‘Atropurpureum’</a>, sometimes leads them to be mistaken for a bush. <b>Its rapid growth</b> combined with this upright habit makes it an ideal candidate for the back of a border, to highlight spring or summer flowering plants.</p> <p class="western">This perennial, native to the wet areas of North America or Europe, <b>appreciates rich, cool, even heavy soils</b>, where it grows vigorously. Not demanding, it can, however, make do with any ordinary soil, as long as it remains cool. In dry soil, the beautiful plant's foliage takes on a very unsightly burnt appearance and struggles to flower.</p> [caption id="attachment_40907" align="aligncenter" width="1172"]<a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.com/blogwp/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/eupatorium-plusieurs-couleurs-de-fleurs.jpg"><img class="wp-image-40907 size-full" src="https://www.promessedefleurs.com/blogwp/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/eupatorium-plusieurs-couleurs-de-fleurs.jpg" alt="Eupatorium, flower colours" width="1172" height="233" /></a> Eupatorium flowers come in various colours: <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-rugosum-chocolate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eupatorium rugosum</em> 'Chocolate'</a>, <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-maculatum-atropurpureum.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eupatorium maculatum</em> 'Atropurpureum'</a>, <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-coelestinum.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eupatorium coelestinum</em></a>, <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-cannabinum-plenum.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eupatorium cannabinum</em> 'Plenum'</a>, <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/perennials/perennials-by-variety/eupatorium-boneset/eupatorium-rugosum-lucky-melody.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Eupatorium</em> 'Lucky Melody'</a>.[/caption] <p class="western">However, its need for water is indeed its only weakness, as the eupatorium is a true robust plant, resistant to everything! <b>It fears neither diseases nor pests</b> and boasts excellent hardiness (down to -15°C), allowing it to thrive in all our regions. Deciduous, it reappears with all its vigour each spring, without you having to make any effort other than cutting it back in early winter.</p> <p class="western"><b>This easy-to-grow plant</b>, even for a beginner gardener, self-seeds spontaneously to offer increasingly compact clumps. An expansive character to be fully exploited in a natural garden, where its nectar-rich flowers encourage the presence of numerous butterflies. An additional asset that will also appeal to urban gardens lacking a rural inspiration!</p>