Leycesteria formosa--advice please
Cambridgerose12
Posts: 1,044
in Plants
Hello, I have never grown Leycesteria formosa but am tempted by it after seeing 'Golden Lanterns'. Can someone who has grown it tell me whether it has an extended period of horribleness at any point during the year? Does it have orange new leaves? In what month does it leaf out? Am trying to think about how to use it.
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I, on the other hand, love it. It does self seed willy nilly but then mine is a willy nilly kind of garden and if it seeds where I don't want it, I pull it out. It's a great crowd pleaser for the birds as well. I didn't introduce it to my garden, I suspect the birds did, but I've saved several seedlings and put them in different spots for space filling purposes. Mine too is still in flower.
If we all liked the same thing, we might as well go and sit in the park!
As V says....not for tiny gardens!
I like the species but not sure about yellow leaves. In my alkaline gardener's mind yellow is not good
It's not something I'd grow .
For every every nice one , you see tons of overgrown leggy horrible ones. I suppose if you keep it pruned, like buddliea in spring it might not be bad.
I love it too, its quite well behaved in my garden, tall but not floppy. Do have a quite large garden tho. Have 4 dotted around the garden now. Still in flower, don't remember having yellow leaves. I trim it back from time to time. Birds love it.
I am in the strong like category, love seems a bit extreme1
Lime green leaves, well behaved, I just cut it back hard every spring.
for the fag ends of the aristocracy.
Looks good if you keep it pruned. Never had problem with self seeding. Haven't spotted any others locally either but there must have been one somewhere. Recently posted a question on how to propagate it! I suppose it depends on the soil. Mine has never manifested any horribleness
Agreed. A very useful addition. I would use it for forsythia and ceanothus .
It seems I'm not very discerning....a plant tramp. I like all of the above.