Lysimachia lanceolata 'Burgundy Mist'

The preference is partial to full sun, and moist to mesic conditions. This plant usually grows in a loam or clay-loam soil, but it can tolerate soil with sandy or rocky material as well. The foliage is rarely bothered by disease; occasionally insects nibble the edges of the leaves. -Illinois Wildflowers

Lysimachia lanceolata lance-leaved loosestrife, is a native plant endemic to North America east of the Mississippi. The purple-leaved form of this plant was an isolated population found by Mike Berkley & Terri Barnes of GroWild Inc. nursery in Tennessee. The wine red foliage of Lysimachia slowly creeps in the garden and grows 1'-2’ tall with an equal spread. Throughout the summer, the diminutive flowers twinkle and bloom a bright yellow, contrasting with the maroon leaves. Lance-leaved loosestrife is a quiet plant, settling along garden borders and along hillsides and at the base of trees or shrubs. What we love about this plant is its sunny tough-as-nails attitude, heat tolerance, and how it steadily spreads by rhizomes, covering the ground and suppressing weeds while supporting pollinators and wildlife. It’s easy to grow, delightful all year round, and is the living embodiment of ‘green mulch’.

Lysimachia lanceolata naturally occurs as far north as Ontario, east to Virginia, south to Louisiana, and west to Texas and Iowa. Plants are indigenous to sunny to partly shaded moist meadows or moist open woods. Lanceleaved loosestrife does well in alkaline and limestone and hydric soils.

The short stature, continuous sunny bloom, and deep wine coloring of this native plant make Lysimachia lanceolata 'Burgundy Mist' a new favorite groundcover. It’s won over our Gardens Department by how it keeps weeds at bay with its evergreen basal foliage and is relatively carefree. It is bee pollinated and mostly attractive to short-tongue bees for its floral oil.