Pretty INVASIVE, that is!!

I’m talking about “Gooseneck Loosestrife.”

I purchased the perennial at a favorite greenhouse four years ago when I was “constructing” my flower beds.

I always read the description of the flowers I’m purchasing and I don’t remember the description suggesting “contains roots,” or “spreads quickly.”

For the past three years, I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to yank it out of the flower bed. It has spread so voraciously that it chokes out other tender perennials vying for the smallest of growing areas. The stem reminds me of a succulent; it’s always full of moisture. If you try to pull it out, it snaps at ground-level, leaving the root to begin a path elsewhere.

I’ve had the worst time ridding my flower beds of it. I pull new shoots constantly throughout the summer months.

I believe the only way to completely rid the flower beds of this dastardly villain is to turn over the topsoil and pull the roots, once and for all.

For now, I’ll pull the new shoots to allow the others their rightful sunlight and rainfall allowance.

It is pretty though.