Common Name: loosestrife
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Primulaceae
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May to October
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers moist, rich, humusy locations in full sun. Plants will spread somewhat rapidly in optimum growing conditions.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Lysimachia is a large genus of about 150 species of herbaceous and evergreen perennials and shrubs from subtropical areas including South Africa and North Temperate areas.
Genus name honors King Lysimachus (661-281 B.C.), Macedonian King of Thrace and is derived from lysimacheios which was the ancient Greek name of a plant in this grouping.
SNOW CANDLES is an erect, clump-forming hybrid loosestrife perennial that typically grows to 16” tall and is noted for its compact form, strong stems and profuse bloom. It is a cross between L. clethroides and L. fortunii. Numerous tiny white flowers, densely packed into slender, tapered, curving, terminal racemes (each to 4” long), bloom from May to fall. Opposite oblong medium green leaves to 4”. U.S. Plant Patent Applied For (PPAF).
Problems
Lysimachia is susceptible to rust and leaf spots. The extent to which ‘Snow Candles’ will spread in the garden and whether it is as aggressive a spreader as some of the other lysimachias is not yet known by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Uses
Notwithstanding possible concerns over aggressive spread, SNOW CANDLES is expected to grow well in bog gardens, along bodies of water or in low spots. Also may be grown in cottage gardens, wild gardens or remote parts of borders where it may be allowed to naturalize.