The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => Water => Topic started by: Daisy on September 06, 2012, 07:53:01 AM
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It has grown too tall and is now out of scale with my little pond, but, Lythrum salicaria has been flowering since May ;D
It is very sturdy and windproof.
The bees and hoverflies love it.
It just keeps putting out more and more flowers.
I am so pleased with it, that I have just ordered Lythrum salicaria Blush
and Lythrum virgatum Dropmore Purple. ;D ;D ;D
Daisy :)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss112/daisyincrete/078-2.jpg)
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Lythrum salicaria, purple loosestrife, is a delightful plant and as you say bees and butterflies love it. We find it pretty invasive here in our UK garden (it is a British native), and unwanted self-seedlings need to be pulled out when young, as they quickly develop a very strong rootstock.
But presumably in the drier-summer conditions of the Mediterranean, there isn't that problem?
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I have not tried Lythrum here since, knowing it is a moisture loving plant and I do not irrigate my garden once things are established, I did not think it would succeed. However I was interested to notice that it thrives on the edges of fields in our valley used for the cultivation of tobacco which is regularly and heavily irrigated during its growing season. Here it makes a lovey splash of colour every summer.
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They grow in the olive fields near us as well, no irrigation, but I suspect there must be some moisture there. It would be nice to have them in the garden, but I don't know if they would survive. I wonder if I got the correct species of those in this old photo though, they seem to be bigger, especially the leaves, but what else could it be?