Botanical name: Eupatorium spp
Common names: Joe Pye Weed, mistflower, boneset, snakeroot
Origin: Varies by species, but most are native to the Central to Eastern Plains, Midwest, Southeast and New England
USDA zones: 3 to 9, depending on species (find your zone)
Water requirement: Varies by species, from moist to dry; most are fairly adaptable once established
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Slowly spreading clump to several feet, but depends on species
Benefits and tolerances: A musky scent butterflies can't resist; great perches for birds; unique tropical form
Seasonal interest: Masses of blooms from summer through fall (depends on species, so get one of each for lasting color); a haunting presence in fall and winter; leaf color can be a good yellow in favorable autumn conditions
When to plant: Spring to fall

'Prairie Jewel' has fantastically bright leaves in early spring. The yellow turns a creamy white in summer.

Not pictured but also with white blooms is E. perfoliatum, or boneset. It's very cold hardy (zones 3 to 8) and likes a richer, moister soil in full to partial sun. It reaches 3 to 4 feet tall and wide — it's a solid clumper like all the previously mentioned Eupatorium. It's found all over the Central, Northern and Southern Plains, and prairie settlers once believed the leaves could help set fractured bones.

E. rugosum 'Chocolate' is a dark-leaved, white-blooming, well-behaved clumper. The more sun it's in, the wetter the soil it needs; full sun and moist soil are best. On average it grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.

How to use them. Eupatorium plants are adaptable, which means you can find one that will work for any situation. I like the tall species for accents at corners or centers of beds, and the shorter species as filler to shade the ground so weeds can't grow.

Planting notes. Any Eupatorium species can go in the ground from early spring to late fall. Soil and light conditions vary by species, as noted above, but this is a tolerant group.

When you take down your plants in early March, cut the hollow stalks into 6-inch lengths. Make bundles of these and place them on fences or walls to make native bee houses.

The majority of crop and flower pollination is done by native bees, like blue masons — solitary bees who incubate their young in hollow stems and holes in wood. Some of the young even overwinter in these places. Help out the dwindling bee populations and use Eupatorium stems for yet another season: the bee-breeding one.