Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's purple loosestrife featured in this native garden. It's on city property. From my understanding this is a particularly harmful invasive here in the upper Midwest. I'm no expert, but this looks to be a native garden otherwise. Is this something I should call the landscapers about? I'm worried someone will see the loosestrife and think it's beneficial. They're so pretty! If I didn't know better I'd want some in my garden.
by Dye_Hard_Stylist
13 Comments
If you are right (I have no idea if you are, I’m kinda new to the hobby), you definitely should. By creating this garden they were trying to do the right thing but by doing so they have the responsibility carry it out correctly. Plus they probably had no idea so no harm no foul or whatever.
I’d have to get a closer look at the leaves to be sure, but if that’s purple loosestrife I’d definitely bring it up
Go buy a native substitute and just pull the ol’ switcharoo
What the hell kind of rain garden is 90% wood chips with plants 5 feet apart? It looks terrible and won’t work. They need a dense planting and no mulch or wood chips other than *maybe* a light layer of leaf compost.
Make sure it isn’t the native and similar winged loosestrife – Lythrum alatum. This picture isn’t close enough for an ID.
Confirm the ID and if it is invasive tbh I’d just pull it when no one’s around. Maybe plant a native if you have one.
These guys actually offer classes on rain gardens and they know what they’re doing. I have never seen them recommend purple loosestrife and I seriously doubt they would use an invasive but you could email Susan to verify. I didn’t realize there was a native loostestrife. Good looking out, hopefully it’s not the invasive version.
https://www.washtenaw.org/647/Rain-Gardens
Absofuckinglutely. Tell a friend to complain too! They might make a policy change
My neighborhood is infested with purple loosestrife, and this doesn’t look quite right. The purple is usually darker. I would make sure before you do anything.
I don’t know if it is or it isn’t. You can get a better snapshot of it, the flowers mainly, because *I think* the invasive loosestrife has larger flowers than the native loosestrife. Then, with a better photo and a closer look, you can get help via an online invasive report or smartphone app, to the Michigan State University here:
[Invasive Species: Purple Loosestrife](https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/id-report/plants/herbs/purple-loosestrife)
Even if you’re not sure, a plant like that in a new planting situation such as that, is worth reporting to get the experts to confirm it one way or another, to be totally sure. Their website says that’s what they are there for!
“Our goal is to assist both experts and citizen scientists in the detection and identification of invasive species in support of successful management.”
It’s definitely
https://preview.redd.it/c09qfdcyi2mf1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6529566f33977ea224485429467f0f3b175362cf
If it is definitely just kill it. Pull it.
Every plant I’ve tried to consider as an alternative is native to Europe and asia, so even if it’s not loosestrife I do not believe it’s North American