Rehoboth Garden Club

08/05/2026

What’s Blooming Wednesday: Joe-Pye W**d
If you are looking for a late-summer native plant that keeps your garden buzzing, Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium) is currently putting on a spectacular show. Known for its large, vanilla-scented, pinkish-purple flower clusters, this versatile perennial comes in several native species and varieties suited for different space requirements and lighting.

Sweet Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium purpureum): Reaching 4 to 7 feet tall, this is the best choice for gardeners with less sun. It thrives in partial shade to dappled woodland light.

Spotted Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium maculatum, such as ‘Gateway’): Growing 5 to 7 feet tall, this variety prefers full sun to light shade and rich, consistently moist soil.

Hollow Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium fistulosum): The true giant of the family, soaring 6 to 10 feet tall. It performs best in full sun and moist-to-wet soils, making it ideal for rain gardens or the back of a large border.

Dwarf Varieties (‘Little Joe’ / ‘Baby Joe’): Perfect for smaller landscapes, these compact choices grow only 2 to 4 feet tall. They thrive in full sun to partial shade and offer the same pollinator benefits without requiring as much room.

08/04/2026

08/04/2026

08/02/2026

Hello, August! This new month brings Ghost Pipes in the woods, Monarch Butterflies on milkweed, coyotes howling, and more.

Download, print, and screen read here: massaudubon.org/almanac

07/31/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to water both vegetable and perennial gardens 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 the incidence of 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 often caused by overhead watering.

07/29/2026

What’s Blooming Wednesday: Hibiscus
Did you know you can get a dramatic, tropical look in New England with a perennial? Hibiscus (also known as Rose Mallow or Hibiscus moscheutos) is blooming right now, showing off massive, dinner-plate-sized flowers in shades of pink, white, and red, with lush, glossy foliage.
Why it’s special: While it looks like a tropical vacation, Rose Mallow is actually a tough perennial native to Massachusetts wetlands. Just like daylilies, each giant blossom only opens for a single day, but the plant produces so many buds that it keeps going for weeks. It is also a pollinator magnet, drawing in local bumblebees and hummingbirds.
Care Tips:
* Sun & Water: This plant loves full sun and consistently moist to wet soil. It is the perfect choice for a naturally soggy low spot or a rain garden.
* Be Patient: Hardy hibiscus dies back completely to the ground in winter and is notoriously slow to wake up in the spring—often waiting until June to sprout. Don’t dig it up early thinking it didn’t make it!
* Winter Cleanup: Cut the dead woody stems back to the ground in late winter or early spring to make way for the new season’s growth.

07/27/2026

07/22/2026

What’s Blooming Wednesday: Liatris
This week, the striking spikes of Liatris (also known as Blazing Star) are stealing the show! This native perennial adds wonderful vertical texture to summer gardens and is an absolute magnet for pollinators.
What makes it special? Liatris has a unique trick: unlike most spiked flowers that open from the bottom up, it blooms from the top down! This gives the flower heads a fun, fuzzy wand appearance.
You can plant the classic tall Dense Blazing Star, a compact dwarf variety like ‘Kobold’, the crisp ‘Floristan White’, or Meadow Blazing Star, which is the ultimate monarch magnet.
Liatris is incredibly low-maintenance. It thrives in full sun and prefers well-drained soil. The most important rule is to avoid soggy ground, as the roots can rot in wet winter conditions. Once established, it handles drought with ease and is generally deer resistant.

07/20/2026

It's National Moth Week! This annual, global event invites people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in a community science event that involves sharing photos of moths they encounter where they live, to help researchers study moth diversity, distribution, and ecology. ⁠

Moths are the counterpart to butterflies in the insect order Lepidoptera. Many moth species are most active at night, causing them to sometimes be overlooked. However, they serve an important ecological role, pollinating many native species and providing a critical food source for birds and other mammals.

Many moths are specialists, requiring particular plant species, called host plants, during the caterpillar phase of their life cycle. Because of this, it is ever-important for us to plant the native plants that these moths will recognize as hosts. For example, the brown-hooded owlet moth caterpillar (Cucullia convexipennis) requires plants in the aster or goldenrod groups to act as its host.

Keep an eye out for moths this week, and check out more information about National Moth Week on their website: https://nationalmothweek.org/

Photo: Brown-hooded owlet moth caterpillar (Cucullia convexipennis) on white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) Alexis Doshas @ Native Plant Trust

07/15/2026

What’s Blooming Wednesday: Coneflowers
Coneflowers (Echinacea) are a classic midsummer favorite. While they now come in a rainbow of colors—including orange, yellow, and red—not all varieties are equal for wildlife. Classic “single” coneflowers have open, spiky centers that are perfect for feeding pollinators, whereas fancy “double” pom-pom varieties are beautiful for bouquets but block bees from reaching the nectar.
These hardy perennials are incredibly easy to grow. They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil, making them highly drought-tolerant once established. To encourage continuous blooms all summer, simply snip off the faded flowers. At the end of the season, leave the last round of seed heads standing, as local birds love to feed on the seeds during the winter.