This is a lovely, sturdy perennial that flowers with large, densely packed clusters in the summer. In nature the spotted Joe-Pye weed grows along riverbanks and rivers. If you have a fairly marshy bed or border, it will thrive there. The colour or the flowers and foliage on this plant is somewhat darker than that of the natural species. Eupatorium maculatum Atropurpureum is a lovely plant for those who have the space for it.
This variety was actually recently renamed Eutrochium maculatum but is more widely known as Eupatorium macculatum.