That's beautiful! I hope someone comments who has grown this. I want it too!

LYSIMACHIA PUNCTATA GOLDEN ALEXANDER

I've got one, and if you're willing I'll tell you about it and why.

My oldest son is named Alexander and for the majority of the year he lives almost 900 miles away with his mom. We get him every-other Christmas and in the summer. I purchased this plant one fall on sale after he had returned to his mom's. I planted it, gave it a label and forgot it.

Next spring a curious little thing popped up, looking like little pink brussel sprouts and then developing into nicely variegated little plants (it spreads a little, but not uncontrollably). Just before he arrived that spring it burst into bloom and has done so each year since for me. This Golden Alexander heralds the arrival of my own golden Alexander.

Its planted on the south side of my house (front yard) on the house side of the drip-line of the house. The soil is lean and dry much of the time (though I do have soakerhoses/drip-lines there). But this time of year it has begun to look a little ratty, but there are plants around it to take the attention off of it during this season. I occasionally pull out any un-variegated sprouts that emerge, but these are the exception and I rarely have to pull out more than just a couple. That original planting (6 years ago) is now about 1 foot deep (to the house) and 2 feet wide. Plants are only about 8-12 inches tall (though they would likely be taller if I watered more)

~Chills

Please don't order it without checking the USDA website regarding lysimachia - it has been deemed a noxious weed in many states (including IL) and provinces throughout the US and Canada. (Scroll down to the last row of maps to see which ones.)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LYSIM

Please also check out the Dave's Garden website for futher information:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1126/

The Connecticut Botanical Society is clear on their website:
"Yellow Loosestrife - Lysimachia vulgaris
Garden loosestrife is an invasive plant with the potential to threaten native plant habitats. More on this topic from Invasive Plant Atlas of New England."

Even the supposedly sterile varieties of loosestrife have escaped into the wild and have become a problem. The NJ Dept of Agriculture's Beneficial Insect Rearing Lab is rearing and releasing beneficial insects to help to control this invasive, non-native plant that is rapidly taking over wetlands areas, even affecting native wildlife like toads, frogs and turtles, by destroying their native habitat.

I realize the plant you linked is lysimachia punctata, but please note that even Bluestone recommends containing the plant they are selling with a root barrier. Also please remember that plants also spread by seed, which is often dispersed considerable distances by birds. Different plant, but supposedly sterile cultivars of the ornamental pears have escaped cultivation, cross-bred, and become noxious, invasive weeds.

I'm sorry this is so strongly worded, but there are so many wonderful plants out there that are not problems, we need not go introducing invasives ... and shame on any vendor who promotes the latter.

Lysimachia punctata Alexander (the standard green/white not golden) has been well behaved in my garden for many years - planted full sun, clay based soil high in organic content, supplemental water by drip irrigation.

ÂAlexander is a patented cultivar that only occasionally produces seed - I've never found a seedling.

It does spread a bit, but shallow rooting makes it easy to control and if it begins to crowd a neighboring plant, easy to lift out and reduce clump size, not something I find I must do every year. My beds are heavily planted, I don't have room for garden thugs - this isn't one of them.

I'll second Mor's observations. 'Alexander' and 'Golden Alexander' are both very well-behaved plants in a garden setting. As is the nature of Lysimachia, they are spreaders but never to the point where they become thuggish or even remotely invasive and they are much less aggressive in their spread than the straight green species. Self-seeding is not an issue.

I too have a very intensely planted garden and do not tolerate aggressively spreading, thuggish plants. This is not one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lysimachia 'Alexander' NOT invasive

I grow it in the Chicago area. I've had it for about six years I think, and it hasn't spread much at all--after all this time there is perhaps one and a half times the gallon plant I bought. It hasn't even gotten wide enough to be super showy, in my opinion. I've got really lean, sandy soil, and if it wanted to run, it could. My garden is also pretty tightly planted--it's apparently not even aggressive enough to compete much with its neighbors. I think it's prettiest in the spring when it's just emerging.

I've had Alexander (not Golden Alexander) in my garden for almost ten years and have never had a problem with it being aggressive. It is in dry, rather poor soil in a hot sunny spot, and grows quite nicely. I would not call it aggressive, invasive or thuggish at all, at least not from my personal experience in my garden. And I've never seen seedlings either.

I agree with dirt diver. This plant is absolutely gorgeous when it first emerges in spring. Just beautiful.

:)
Dee

Thanks for all your replies. Sounds doable for me.