In 2022, Lysimachia lanceolata ‘Burgundy Mist’ hit the native plant market with great fanfare. Here was an ornamentally improved version of the Eastern North America (Wisconsin south to Florida) moist meadow native, Lysimachia lanceolata (aka: Steironema lanceolatum), from the folks at Tennessee’s GroWild Nursery. The linear-leaf foliage of this selection takes on a burgundy cast in sun, which contrasts beautifully with the thousands of small yellow flowers, which are indeed a sight to behold, starting for us in June.
Having grown it in the garden for three years, we certainly agree that it’s an amazing selection, but unfortunately, not one that we can keep in the garden. In the marketing hype, we were told it reaches 2′ tall and spreads to 2-3′ wide. Well, that’s not quite the case in our garden. Our three year old patch in full sun, is only 1′ tall, but has spread to 10′ wide, despite being reigned in twice already. It is truly stunning in the garden, but its aggressive nature chokes out anything small in its path. If you’ve got a sunny, moist spot, where you don’t care about biodiversity, but just want a mass of color, covered by native bees, I can heartily endorse Burgundy Mist lance-leaf loosestrife. It’s not that any particular plant, despite its nativity, is either good or bad, it’s choosing the right plant for the right place.
Yes, when size estimates are off, you have a problem. A mild mannered plant in one climate can be too aggressive in another or just too tall. River sage is native, but it has become a pest in my mothers garden, smothering many other plants. I have planter several new hyped plants that grew 3 times bigger than the listed size in Florida which can be a real problem, needing a lot of trimming or eventual removal. You don’t get many flowers or berries if you have to cut back that much either. There is also the burden of too much work for the reward. Sometimes it’s time to shovel prune and plant something more fun.
A friend grows what looks like Lysimachia lanceolata in containers. See picture.
I’ve got Lysimachia lanceolata var. purpurea in dry-ish part shade. It’s expanded only a few inches over three years, and it’s sparse enough that Persicaria affinis ‘Dimity’ is surviving underneath it. Just don’t give it what it wants, and it’ll be perfectly well behaved.