I absolutely love this one. I just wish the bloom was a little earlier because some years it just starts to bloom in late October and we get frosts about that time. The purple is the best, I think. I have white also, and it blooms earlier but it isn't as prolific.

Some people think this is a very invasive plant. I don't find it to be invasive at all. At home in my "not that great" soil, it puts on a great show. At the farm, I have it planted under Black Walnut trees" and it survives although it isn't all that happy. Maybe it is the juglone that the Walnut gives off, or maybe it is too shady there. I haven't tried it in the sunnier gardens, but sure plan to keep it. Bottom line is, YES. It is a perennial that is late summer/early fall blooming and is just beautiful.

This perennial is one we wish we'd never planted. It has been very invasive for us, coming up for years even with trying to hoe & hand-weed it out of our perennial bed.

Best wishes,
Randy W.

I love this plant but...it grows pretty tall and tends to fall over...and it is very invasive for me too. But I love the flowers.

I second Randy. The crazy thing would take over completely. Took me 3 to 4 years to finally get rid of all of it. I had it in a mulched bed and it would come up 5 to 10 feet from where it was suppose to be.

It would be worth it if it wasn't so blah.Because it does command some attention. I keep telling myself that I'll take it all out in spring, but then spring comes and I just get daunted by the huge job it will be. It hasn't been invasive for me, but it does spread. I consider invasive when a plant pops up all over the place. This stays put, but every year it spreads out a little more. It just takes so long to get some blooms, and by then I'm getting ready to shut down the garden for the winter. Maybe it's just the kind I have, not sure what it is since it was a pass along plant.

I got mine in a plant swap. Its nice but I'm glad I didn't pay for it. Where I have it, I don't mind that it walks around. I'm fortunate that I didn't plant it in the mixed border.

I grew it in good soil in full sun in IN -- it spread pretty rapidly for me but I didn't find it any trouble to cull the excess and give them away or compost them. For me, it didn't crowd out other plants or create problems. I really enjoyed the late summer/fall color and found it to be a tough, sturdy plant, no problems except for the spreading, and I loved the color (purple/pink). From what others have said, it sounds like it's a mixed bag as to how much of a problem you'll find it to be. If you like it, try it in a spot where it won't be a problem in case it is invasive for you. Happy gardening!

I found this plant super invasive and have been trying to remove it for about 3 years. Mine grew on a bank that has alot of moisture. There are too many other plants to try that have the height and are not work.

Shirley