Lythrum

peteS · July 2021

Lythrum (Purple Loosestrife) is such a beautiful plant when in full flower...an absolute magnet for bees as well. You often read about how it should be grown in damp conditions, but this has been growing in light soil which can dry out rapidly this time of year, for about 15 years now trouble free.

Bijdezee · July 2021

Lovely and what a bonus for bees

Fairygirl · July 2021

I hate the stuff because it reminds me of willowherb too much!
I think the problem with info is that it can often be slightly misleading. The loosestrifes are often recommended for damper soils because they cope really well with it, where other plants can struggle. That can lead to the idea that they must have damper conditions, which isn't really the case. Once established, they also cope with a variety of soils, and aspects, so they certainly manage drier, even drought ridden soil.
Yours will fall into that category - well established, so it's doing fine, and, much as I dislike it, it's terrific for bees, as you rightly say

peteS · July 2021

@Fairygirl...I also like Willowherb, a clump of it can look terrific in the evening, backlit with the sun, with all the bees and things flying round it.

Fairygirl · July 2021

I like it well enough when it isn't anywhere near my garden @peteS

We had an invasion of it in a previous garden, because we bordered farmland, and had a 'wilder' area of about 1/4 of an acre on one side of the entrance driveway, where it was rampant. It was fine some of the time, but it self seeds so readily, and just keeping it in check was almost a full time occupation in later summer. It was hard enough getting stuff to thrive due to the rabbits, without having to deal with that too.

Lythrum

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