Description of Lysimachia vulgaris (Yellow Loosestrife)

Lysimachia vulgaris is yellow loosestrife, a tall, clump-forming wetland plant with bright yellow flowers in summer. It’s a good option when you want a natural look and a bit of height without using reeds.

Appearance

It grows upright stems with lance-shaped leaves. From mid to late summer it produces branching sprays of yellow flowers. It often reaches 1 to 1.5m in damp soil and forms a widening clump over time.

Care Guide

It likes wet ground and it copes with seasonal flooding. In drier soil it stays shorter and flowers less.

• Sun: Full sun to part shade.
• Soil: Wet, fertile soil or aquatic compost.
• Water: Keep the root zone consistently damp to wet.
• Control: It can spread by rhizomes. Lift and thin edges if it moves too far.
• Cut back: Cut stems down in late autumn or late winter.

If you want more plants, split the clump in spring. Small divisions establish well in wet soil.

Suitability for Bog Garden

This suits bog gardens as a tall summer flowerer for the back of the bed. It also works beside streams and overflow channels where soil stays wet but water is moving.

In small bog gardens, keep it to one clump or grow it in a basket so it doesn’t crowd slower plants.

FAQ