The purple loosestrife has enjoyed great popularity in our gardens for some time. In the right location, it does not require much maintenance.
The purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is one of almost 40 loosestrife species. The purple loosestrife can be recognized by its red spikes of flowers, which insects and butterflies prefer to visit. The moisture-loving plant feels at home on the edges of ponds and river banks. The flowers will delight the eye all summer long.
Information about purple loosestrife
About 200 years ago purple loosestrife spread in North America so massively that it was declared a weed. Today, the robust and floriferous perennial has established itself in many gardens and is not only loved by butterflies and insects.
If you are looking for a plant for a damp location, purple loosestrife is a good choice. The loosestrife not only feels at home on wet meadows and at the edges of ponds, but can also be cultivated in shallow water.
The purple loosestrife is suitable as an enrichment for colorful summer bouquets and is considered one of the oldest domestic medicinal plants. The plant was described in an English herbal book 450 years ago.
The ingredients are said to be helpful in treating diarrhea, wounds and eczema. In the textile industry, purple loosestrife was once used to tan leather.
Plant profile
| Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria ) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | 80 - 180 cm a year |
| Growth: | 30 - 40 cm |
| Flowering: | June - August |
| Plant requirements: | 35 cm planting distance, 8 to 10 plants per m² |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | fresh to moist, loamy, nutritious |
Plant loosestrife
Find a suitable location
The most important criterion for the right location for the purple loosestrife is sufficient moisture. Furthermore, a sunny location is preferred. The plant can also thrive in partial shade, but then it will show itselflazy.
The soil must never dry out. Therefore, locations on the edge of the pond or in shallow water are ideal. Sites that have a high groundwater level and are unsuitable for many plants can also be upgraded by planting purple loosestrife.
Tip: Loosestrife has a water-purifying effect, but tends to proliferate in the garden pond.
Select ideal substrate
The purple loosestrife is one of the few plants that tolerate waterlogging. A permanently moist, swampy soil is preferred. The plants also thrive in normal garden soil, but then they must be watered accordingly.
If the soil is too dry and you don't want to give up cultivation, you can try the following:
Dig a hole in the ground and sink a plastic bucket with drainage holes in it. Fill the container with garden soil and compost. In this way, a moist location can be created in the middle of a rather dry environment, which meets the requirements of loosestrife.
Tip: When planting in loamy substrate, the plants tolerate drought better.
Adding mulch or compost to the substrate improves the water-storing properties of the soil. If the purple loosestrife is placed in the shallow water zone, the use of pond soil is a good idea.
Planting instructions - step by step
1. Select location
2. Prepare soil
3. Dig plant hole
4. Insert plant
5. Press plant well
6. Water plant generously
You get the purple loosestrife as a container plant. Purple loosestrife can be planted all year round. However, ground frost should not prevail. The plants grow up to 1.5 meters high even in drier loamy soil and need sufficient planting distance. Eight to ten plants can be planted per square meter. About half a meter of space should be left between the plant neighbors.
Make sure there is a sufficiently large planting hole in the bed so that you can fill in enough soil and peat after planting.
If purple loosestrife is to be planted at the edge of the pond, late summer is a good time. The plants are placed in grid pots. To conceal the pots, the soil is covered with decorative gravel.
Planting in the pond
The following procedure has proven itself for planting in the pond:
1. Line the pond basket with jute
2. Fill in the pond soil
3.Use loosestrife
4. Fill in the soil
5. Mix in the fertilizer balls
6. Cover the pond basket with jute, straw and gravel
7. Place the pond basket under the water surface
Tip: In ponds without a shallow water zone, the plant should be placed on stones.
Planting tips at a glance
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Select Location | • Sun to partial shade • Edge of pond • Shallow water • Wet meadows |
| Prepare the ground | • wet • swampy • nutritious |
| planting | • Keep planting distance • Dig the planting hole generously • Water the plant generously |
Caring for loosestrife
Casting
The purple loosestrife proves to be easy to care for, provided that irrigation is ensured. There is no watering in the pond or at the edge of the pond. In the bed, on the other hand, the purple loosestrife needs sufficient water on a regular basis.
Tip: In midsummer, loosestrife in the bed must be watered several times a day.
To be watered with pond or rain water. If you only have tap water available, leave it for a few hours before use so that the limescale can settle.
Fertilize
Fertilization is recommended in spring. Use a long-acting perennial fertilizer. The addition of compost or horn shavings also provides the plant with sufficient nutrients over the summer and does not require additional fertilization.
Warning: The loosestrife does not tolerate over-fertilization or the use of a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
Pruning
In order to stimulate new growth of the plant in spring, the loosestrife is cut back about a hand's breadth above the ground. If you want to prevent the plant from self-seeding, all withered parts of the plant must be cut off in autumn.
Care tips at a glance
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Casting | • pour plenty of water in the bed • no watering in ponds |
| Fertilize | • slow-release fertilizer in spring • avoid over-fertilization • use nitrogen-free fertilizer |
| Cut | • Cut back in spring • Cut off faded flowers and prevent self-seeding |
Propagating loosestrife
Hobby gardeners don't have to do much to propagate purple loosestrifeto do. The plants sow themselves. Since the species purity of seeds is not guaranteed for cultivars, propagation by cuttings in spring is a good idea.
A popular method of propagation is division. In spring, sections of well-developed plants can be cut off and replanted. Make sure there are enough roots on each rhizome.
Tip: Loosestrife should be divided every five years. This has a rejuvenating effect on the plant.
Recognizing pests on loosestrife
The purple loosestrife is not attacked by pests. The contained tannins deter crawling creatures as well as the solid structure of the individual parts of the plant. An exception are snails, which try to feast on the still young and tender shoots in spring.
» Reading tip: Fighting snails in the garden - beer helps
Leaf spot disease is a threat to loosestrife. You can recognize the infestation by dark, sharply defined leaf spots. As a result, the affected leaves turn brown and dry up.
The occurrence of leaf spot disease is favored by high soil moisture and constant rain. If only a few leaves are affected, they should be removed. If the entire plant is marked by leaf spot disease, it must be disposed of.
Overwintering loosestrife
The purple loosestrife is a hardy plant. A special protection for the cold season is not necessary.
Pond plants should have winter quarters indoors. Place the plant in a bucket of water and place it in a frost-free room. Staircases, basements or garages are suitable.
If the plant is removed from the pond and planted in the ground before the first frost, the purple loosestrife can spend the winter outdoors.
Pretty varieties of loosestrife
The purple loosestrife occurs in almost 40 species. We have compiled some attractive varieties for the home garden in the following overview.
| Type | Special Features | Flower Color |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Candle | tall growing | Pink |
| rocket | tall growing | Pink |
| Blush | low growth | Pink/Apricot |
| Robert | compact growth | Carmine |