How to Grow Gooseneck Loosestrife

 

Gooseneck loosestrife plants are hardy perennials you can easily grow in your garden border or bed. Actually growing this plant provides dimension and diversity to these areas. The scientific name of gooseneck loosestrife is Lysimachia clethroides and is an herbaceous plant with a funny name and USDA hardiness from zones three to eight.

Furthermore, the Loosestrife is in the family Lythrum. The actually Loosestrife comes in yellow, pink, white, and purple. The purple varieties of loosestrife are considered slightly invasive in some zones and the gooseneck loosestrife can also be very aggressive in certain regions. It is strongly advised to check with your extension service to see if your variety is appropriate for your area. There are a number of loosestrife gooseneck varieties out there, but the garden loosestrife variety is actually the most recommended for growing. These have the characteristic bend at the end of the gooseneck loosestrife flower stems. In fact, the plant gets its descriptive name from the gooseneck loosestrife flowers on their arching stems, which bear a slight crook at the end.

This plant is actually a low growing plant and it can spread to about three feet, which really makes it an excellent groundcover. The gooseneck loosestrife plant is in the same family as primroses and it prefers sunny to partially sunny locations. The leaves of the plant are slender and the flowers are tiny and white. This wonderful perennial plant is not native to North America but has adapted well to most zones in the United States. The gooseneck loosestrife plant survives winter with a layer of mulch around the base and the leaves turn an attractive gold in fall.

 

How to Grow Gooseneck Loosestrife

The gooseneck loosestrife plant is an extremely tolerant plant whose only complaint is dry soil. Make sure you choose a site that is rich and that has had compost or leaf litter worked in to improve soil texture and nutrient composition when the growing gooseneck loosestrife plant. The gooseneck loosestrife plant can take sun as well as partial shade. Once it has been planted, the plant need to be water moderately.   

 

How to Care for Gooseneck Loosestrife

If you have actually prepared the soil properly prior to planting, the plants don’t need special care. The gooseneck loosestrife plant is not susceptible to insects or disease and it can withstand cold temperatures with a layer of mulch over the plant root zone. You can carefully cut back the spent racemes to make the plant look better and also trim back all the stems to within two inches of the ground in late winter. The new spring growth of the plant will arise from the crown and the flowers will appear in June until October. You can divide the plant every 3 years for best growth. The center will start to die out if you do not dig up the plant and cut it into about 2 or 3 pieces. You can plant each piece for new floral displays. The gooseneck loosestrife flowers are really attractive to butterflies so dot the pieces around your landscape and enjoy the show.