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LYTHRUM



                                                                    Perennial – Sun / Light Shade

Lythrum salicaria                                            Ht. 2’-4’ Spread 3’-4’

LITH-rum sal-eh-CARE-ee-ah                           Spacing 3’

HABIT: Pink or lavender flowers on terminal spikes. Plant is fairly woody and upright. Species plants are invasive – cultivars are not as bad.

CULTURE: Tough and very adaptable. Can grow easily in damp, normal, or dry soils of various pH.

USES:  Perennial garden, color accent, cutting garden.

PROBLEMS: Not a long lasting perennial in many cases.

NOTES: Also called loosestrife. ‘Happy,’  Morden’s Gleam,’ ‘Firecandle,’ and ‘Morden’s Pink’ are good cultivars. Some gardeners are reporting that even the cultivars can be invasive, especially in wet soil.

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