A number of years ago RHS Chelsea Flower Show was filled with a new flower, Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’. Grown among grasses, the foliage dissolves with snaking blackcurrant purple and pink spires rising from the froth. Everyone was talking about it and I was hooked, ordering seeds from Chiltern Seeds to sow that spring.
In our own garden, close up, I find the colour more vibrant. I particularly love the rich berry purple buds.
Growing Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’ from seed is easy but they may take a year to flower. You can plant in spring or I’ve also grow them successfully in September, when temperatures start to cool slightly and we have more rain. Sowing the seeds onto the surface of compost into 7cm pots, perhaps giving a light dusting of compost. You can sow into trays and move into bigger pots but I found they grew fairly quickly making pot sowing a timesaver. They’re hardy and can be left outside over winter with some protection from a cold frame or greenhouse.
Plant them out allowing about 50cm space per plant. They like full sun in rich, moisture retentive soil. Not boggy but enough water that they never dry out. I’m finding they sprawl around the border in a way that I like, though you can no doubt stake them to keep them more upright.
I actually sowed mine in spring 2017. By autumn they were so large I planted them into the border and they were fine, surviving even the Beast from the East and -7C temperatures. The leaves were scorched by the frost however.
Down on my allotment (above) I planted one spare plant as I had quite a few. This one has done particularly well with the extra space. It’s planted in my cut flower patch as Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’ reportedly make good cut flowers. Something I’m yet to try quite yet because it looks too pretty to cut but I’ll update this blog with results when I do. It will be interesting to see how they react when deadheaded too as I haven’t seen info on this.
A short-lived perennial, Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’ died for me a year or so after flowering. However, to my delight, it self sowed gently around my allotment in future years giving me plenty of plants for free.
Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’ is such an easy plant to grow from seed and a beautiful one in its first year as a foliage plant, and even more so in flower the following year. I’m very glad I grew some, it’s already a little star of our garden.
(This post is edited from the original post written in June 2018 with extra years of growing Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’).
Beautiful. I’m not familiar with this plant variety. They look so exotic and eccentric to look at. Great photos too.
– Jason
Had three or four in my border for two years Jack but they seem to have disappeared
Yes, mine didn’t last past their second year. I think too dry for them.
Have started some from seed here in Canada in mid January. Three up so far! Hoping that with some extra winter protection next year that they will survive. We are in zone 3 so here’s hoping!!
May I ask what the is the name of the shorter burgundy flower with the silver foliage in the sixth photo?
Thanks so much!
Irén
Great article. I often heard that it’s actually biennial in our climate. I’ve just started some seeds. We will see how far they’ll get before planting out in autumn.
Has anyone grown from saved seed? Or do they readily self sow?
Im in zone 8B so many plants like this mild climate
I found they self sow, so they should be fine from saved seed
Hi, I was gifted the flower and wondering how I can take the seed from the flower to sow and grow it. The flowers are in full bloom now. Do I need to wait until they dry to find the seeds?
Yes, if you wait until the seed heads are completely dry, you will be able to see the seeds shake out 🙂