Is Yellow loosestrife invasive?

14 years ago

A friend, of a friend, gave me a few of her plants. She did not know the name of the the two shrubs she gave me. I did not think much of it until I tried to look them up. Now, I think they are yellow loosestrife. I am worried the shrubs might be invasive. According to what I could find in my books, only Purple loosestrife is invasive but Yellow is not invasive. As you can see from the picture below I am about to throw them away, then I thought about bringing the situation to this forum. Any information on these shrubs would be appreciated.

Featured Answer

ginny12

14 years ago

As Latin frightens so many people, I didn't use it--but should have. Yellow loosestrife is Lysimachia punctata.

Not all Lysimachias are so benign. A beautiful perennial that most people regret ever planting is gooseneck loosestrife, Lysimachia clethroides. It will take over your garden and is almost impossible to eradicate. Even one inch of root soon turns into a colony. It infests other perennials so you end up pulling them out too. But so pretty. I've never had these problems with yellow loosestrife, Lysimachia punctata.

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Comments (8)

ginny12
14 years ago
Yellow loosestrife is a perennial, not a shrub. It is not invasive but it does spread. I just rip out what I don't want each spring. It's a wonderful perennial that blooms much longer than most perennials.

I am amazed to see a variegated yellow loosestrife, ie, one with green and white foliage rather than plain green. A lot of gardeners would be happy to have it.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
There're several variegated forms of yellow loosestrife - 'Alexander' and 'Golden Alexander'. Neither are invasive and even spread far less aggressively than the straight green variety. And there is also a dark leafed form, Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea', and a purple flowered form, Lysimachia atropurpurea 'Beaujolais'. I've not found either of these to be very aggressive spreaders either.

It is important to note that purple loosestrife - an invasive, noxious weed in much of the country - is Lythrium salicaria, an entirely different plant from Lysimachia.
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laceyvail 6A, WV
14 years ago
This entire discussion is an argument for using the Latin (Botanical) names.
maggie_berry
Original Author
14 years ago
I am so very thrilled. Thank You all for responding!
she is a keeper!
Maggie Berry
maggie_berry
Original Author
14 years ago
People love nick names and they will use them no matter what. I have known people who have decided not to select a particular childs name because of the horrible nick names that could be used in the future. In this particular case, I admit,I thought the plant was a shrub! So if the person told me they had Lysimachia I would have still been worried that they really had Lythrium because it looks more and more like a yellow Lythrium the longer I looked at it. I divided the two plannts in half and have planted one each next to a garden bench under a tree, and the other two in moist partial shade. I am hoping it spreads out a bit. It is a real beauty against the dark green woods. Again Thank You all!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
14 years ago
Different plants behave differently under different conditions :-) The species Lysimachia punctata (straight green - no variegation) spread rampantly in my garden but was relatively easy to remove where not wanted. Lysimachia clethroides has always been extremely well-behaved for me - in fact, it didn't spread as much as I would have liked, but it was in a dryish location in a fair amount of shade....not its ideal conditions. This is a perennial I would not be without! An established clump in bloom in stunning.

Both 'Alexander' and 'Golden Alexander' have proved to be very well-behaved clumpers in my garden.
beauseau
14 years ago
Wonderful looking! Thanks for posting, I have the perfect spot to plant a few of these!