Lupinus - Lupine

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

blue, purple, white, orange, pink, red

18"- 36"

spring

root and stem disease

massing in borders

seed

Performance - Lupine is a spectacular spring flowering plant that is best to grow as an annual in Kentucky gardens. Although lupines are generally considered to be perennials, they just don't tolerate our summer conditions. They should be planted in full sun to partial shade locations in good, organic acid soils.

Comments - It is best to plant them in the garden in the fall and enjoy them in mid spring.

Varieties - 'Russell Hybrids', 'Gallery' series, 'Popsicle' series.

Luzula nivea - Snowy Wood Rush

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

white

18" - 24"

early summer

few

massing in borders

division or seed

Performance - Luzula is a reliable grass-like perennial for Kentucky gardens and grows best in partial to full shade in moist, humus rich soil. It will grow well in places most grasses cannot.

Comments - Luzula is ideal if planted in masses along shaded borders.

Lychnis - Campion

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

scarlet, magenta

18"- 30"

early summer

leaf spots, rusts and white fly

perennial border, natural gardens

seed or division

Performance - Campion is a traditional, short-lived perennial found in Kentucky gardens. Lychnis grows best in full sun in soils that are moist, well drained and highly fertile. The plants usually live for 3-4 years but their life may be shorter time if planted in the wrong conditions.

Comments - They may self-sow dramatically, so be prepared. Some would consider these plants to be invasive exotic plants, because they can self-sow so well. Remove most spent flowers so less seed is distributed in your garden.

Lychnis chalcedonica - Maltese Cross, Jerusalem Cross - Planted in small masses, the fiery red flowers are spectacular in the perennial garden. They are also an excellent plant for butterfly gardens.

Lychnis coronaria - Rose Campion, Mullein Pink - The color of the flower is almost fluorescent, but the silvery grey foliage lends a nice contrast as an accent plant in perennial gardens.

Maltese Cross

Maltese Cross

Rose Campion ‘Angel Blush’

 

Lycoris squamigera - Magic Lily, Resurrection Lily, Naked Lady

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

pink

18" - 24"

late summer

few

borders

bulbs, division

Performance - Resurrection lily is a relatively common, traditional and reliable perennial flower in Kentucky gardens. These plants are often the most colorful part of the late summer landscape. Bulbs are planted in full sun or partial shade conditions about 6" deep in well drained soils.

Comments - The leaves develop in winter or spring and deteriorate in early summer.

Lysimachia - Loosestrife

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

white, yellow

24"- 48"

summer

few

perennial border, natural woodlands, cut flower

seed, division

Performance - Loosestrife is a reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens. They grow best in full sun locations with moist soil. If planted in the right location with sandy soil, it can become extremely invasive and will require removal of massive chunks in the spring.

Comments - The leaves often turn a bronze in the fall which also lends itself to the garden. Kentucky's summer heat and drought generally controls these plants in the landscape, but if they escape to wet areas they are a nuisance. Do not allow these plants to escape to natural areas.

Creeping Jenny ‘Goldilocks’

Lysimachia clethroides - Gooseneck Loosestrife, Japanese Loosestrife

L. punctata - Garden Loosestrife, Yellow Loosestrife

Lysimachia nummularia - Moneywort, Creeping Jenny, Wandering Jenny

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

yellow

2" - 4"

late spring

few

ground cover

division or cuttings

Performance - Creeping jenny is a reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens and will grow in full sun or shade as long as the soil remains moist. Moist soil will also allow for periodic blooming throughout the summer. Although it is an excellent plant along banks, rocks, and stone walls, it is extremely invasive by nature, but the yellowish green foliage always brightens up an area in a quick amount of time.

 

 

Lythrum - Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum

Flower Color

Height

Season

Pests

Uses

Propagation

reddish purple

24"- 48"

summer

Japanese beetles

no longer recommended

division

Performance - Purple Loosestrife was once a reliable perennial in Kentucky gardens, but the invasive nature of this plant, especially Lythrum salicaria, prevent it from being recommended for cultivation. Lythrums grow in full sun locations in any type of soil, moist or dry. They were used alongside stream or pond banks for soil stabilization, or grown in boggy areas where most plants would not grow. Unfortunately, Lythrum grows in these moist conditions where it competes aggressively and displaces native vegetation.

Comments - Lythrum can self-sow and often becomes a problem in wetlands. They become weedy and choke out other native plants in that area. This plant is a classic example of an invasive exotic plant that many naturalists wish to eradicate from the U.S. This plant is no longer for sale in many states of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. and has been placed on the noxious weed lists of many states. USDA entomologists have even introduced a beetle to control the plant’s spread.

Varieties -
Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife - 'Firecandle', 'Pink Spires', 'Robert', 'Rosy Spires'.

Lythrum virgatum - Purple Loosestrife - 'Dropmore Purple', 'Morden's' series, 'The Rocket'.