Can you get a closer picture?

Without a better photo I’ll hazard a tentative guess at a cultivar of Diascia personata.

I’ll try to get a better picture on tomorrow’s walk.

I forgot I took this picture of this same kind of plant on a walk last month.

Compare with Lythrum salicaria ‘Blush’.

Hmm, Lythrum salicaria is listed as a noxious weed where I live and is not allowed to be sold. The plant in question is a long-blooming perennial I see growing in gardens near me. I’ll get a better picture and post it. Thanks

It is lythrum, a lovely plant but still an invasive.

Both could have popped up on their own and been retained

Agreed, I took a closer look at the plant and it does seem to fit the description— woody stems, flower structure. Thank you.

I have one in my garden. It came from nowhere and remains lonely for many years already. I live in a very dry area.

If you can't find one in a nursery, post on Next Door or Craigslist or a local FB gardening group (or go knock on the person's door where you picture this plant) and see if someone will share a start with you.

Maybe compare to this...vs the invasive one:

Lythrum virgatum 'Morden's
Gleam' is a seedless, non-invasive Loosestrife. It grows 3-5 feet tall
and in July and August bears beautiful tall spikes of star-shaped,
rose-pink flowers. Has a shrub-like appearance, but dies back each year.
Especially attractive along water's edge, 'Morden's Gleam' has stunning
color which attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

There are not many places in the lower 48 where this plant is NOT considered an invasive species!! Same across Canada. I would not encourage anyone to attempt to obtain or plant.

btw, so-called sterile forms have proven not to be sterile and are just as much a threat as the species.

Gardengal is right, I found this after more research..

https://pre.ice.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/farm_bill/PRE-5448.pdf

Yes, I read that too. I wouldn’t risk putting it in the garden. I do not want that sort of problem. My neighbor has gooseneck loosestrife that he’s always trying to give me divisions of, but it is a thug for sure (and looks like hell by this time in our season anyway). No thank you!!

Could be Lithium or also called loosestrife. Banned in many states.

There are some pink flowering Salvias and Veronicas that might make a good substitute. Or check out one of the native blazing stars, Liatris.

good for a teachable moment with your child. There are plants that could substitutes in form.

I really appreciate the suggestions! I agree that it a a good, teachable moment for both of us. Thanks.

'Lithium' is a mood disorder medication :-) I'm sure Cathy meant lythrum, which was what the plant was ID'd as.

And not all loosestrifes are created equal!! I grow several different types of Lysimachia - also commonly called loosestrife - and none are considered invasive although some could be termed "thuggish". In fact, gooseneck loosestrife, Lysimachia clethroides, is one of my favorite plants and is easily controllable.

Lythrum salicaria, purple loosestrife, is a whole 'nother kettle of fish!! A completely different plant and not even in the same plant family as what are most commonly known as loosestrife, Lysimachia.

GG48, just so folks don’t get the wrong idea, gooseneck loosestrife, Lysimachia clethroides may be controllable where you are in the PNW, but is one of those plants I ripped out due to thuggishness. Problem plants tend to be dependent on location and growing conditions, and for much of the eastern half of the country, it should come with a warning.

I'm with Babs on this one. Although I adore this plant it is thuggish here despite growing conditions. I have had it in sun in fertile soil where it was aggressive. I have it in lean soil in shade and it is still extremely aggressive. In the east it is simply thuggish. If I could find a spot for it where it could not possibly overtake anything else I would let it go but never again in a mixed bed/border.

I guess this is one area of gardening that is either for or against. I have both the gooseneck and purple loosestrife. The gooseneck was so aggressive in our front garden that I spent a lot of time finally eradicating it; but I still liked it enough that I found a place for it in another area. If it gets out of control there, out it comes.In fact, it went under cement slabs and came up on the other side I like the Morden Gleam purple loosestrife so much that it will always be a part of the garden. I have had it for several years and it has never spread or produced any seedlings. In fact, I have had more problems keeping it going.. I wish it would spread more.

The same here, as I already mentioned. One lonely beautiful Purple loosestrife for close to twenty years already. Pollinators magnet. It is true, it came form nowhere, but I have never had a single seedling growing on my property since then.

I keep seeing this purple Lythrum plant looking very well-behaved in gardens around in my neighborhood. It’s honestly kind of irritating that I shouldn’t have it in my garden. It’s not fair, LOL! Especially compared to my neighbor‘s Lysimachia, which must have perfect growing conditions. Oh well.

I do have a tough time with knowingly planting invasives Because I battle them on my property and will never get rid of them. Something like gooseneck loosestrife doesn’t tend to spread into the wild as far as I know, so doesn’t qualify as invasive, so if you want to deal with a thug in your yard, have at it. And it may not have the thuggish nature everywhere. I just try to warn folks so they know ahead of time what they may be getting into.

But a true invasive will spread into the wild via seeds courtesy of wind or water or critters moving them, so just because you don’t see it seeding in your garden doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem If the seeds are taken elsewhere, often in the gut of critters who then deposit them with a small dose of fertilizer. I don’t know if purple loosestrife is invasive everywhere (do research with reputable sources such as universities or botanic gardens before planting to see how it behaves in your area), but in NH and in OH, the two places that I have lived for long time periods, it is a menace In wetlands, and research has shown that supposedly sterile varieties aren’t actually sterile. I can think of many wetlands I have seen overtaken by the cursed stuff, overrunning natives and leaving a monoculture of a nonnative plant.

I will now step off my soapbox.

I did double check the EDDMapS to see if Lythrum was listed as invasive in my area and it is. MO Botanical garden has bold warnings in red under its listing also. There are many other plants out there and some folks have given good suggestions for look-alikes.