If you are looking for a stunning bloom for a part of your garden with moist soil, plant of the week: Lythrum salicaria could be a strong contender. This is an easy maintenance plant with a long bloom season putting a smile to the face with its strong, cheerful purple colour. Where I am it grows wild in ditches and other similar wetlands. Cultivated it is too of course.
We live in sustainable times(?). The right plant for the right location is a mantra all garden designers work according to (at least should do). This provides for long lasting greenery with minimal maintenance. A new waterside park near me is due to open any day now. I happened to notice the landscape designers in charge had decided to go for Lythrum salicaria as one of their bloom options. Great idea!
The Royal Horticultural Society describes this plant as a robust herbaceous perennial with upright stems to 1.2m tall, clad in narrow, willowy leaves, and small vivid purplish-pink flowers 2cm wide in dense terminal spikes. It prefers full/partially sunny locations. This plant is native to Europe and Asia. It’s considered invasive in the US.
