Grew it at my previous beach front garden - lottsa sun!! It suckered a bit but never spread to the extent reported in places closer to its native habitat. My neighbor down the street has an established clump (far sunnier aspect than my current garden) that is quite generously sized (4-5' across?) but not unmanageable. Gets quite tall as well...easily 6'.

In that case this would be a perfect spot. A sunny narrow end of trough of soil surrounds by rocks on three sides. Now I just have to find one at a local nursery?

Saw this on the West Seattle Garden tour this Sunday. There are some very nice gardens on the tour. Most are tidier than mine, I subscribe to the "Wild co-mingling theory" of garden design. You can also tell the ones that are actually worked on by the owners and those that are at least partially subbed out. I prefer the former.

If you are willing to travel to Kitsap, I know of a source over here :-) Otherwise, you might want to call around and ask for Romneya coulteri before you drive all over.

Oh boy, be careful. It is a rampant spreader in my garden. I love the look of it against our purple potting shed but it has travelled under a cement walkway, popping up in another bed, spread into the lawn and taken over in the original bed. It has also spread through the rockery in front of it. It pulls out easily but leaves the rubbery roots which require some digging to eliminate.

It was well behaved for the first few years, but as soon as I turned my back, it started its’ thuggish behavior.

I find it interesting that the other posters did not have this problem. Our potting shed is cement block and was the original milkhouse for our old place. Perhaps that soil could be more alkaline and may provide a more favorable environment for the plant.

I put it in the category of Persicaria polymorpha - a gorgeous addition to a garden but in the end, a headache.

Here are some photos I took today. The poppies are just starting to bloom. I started with one small plant by the window and now they have travelled around the corner pretty much drowning out what was planted.

The second photo shows the thug coming out across the bed under the rocks.

The third photo is about 12 feet away in the lawn...

it really is a nice plant but I don’t think you can confine it easily. Would be a great, easy care plant in a place you want covered and can let it rip!

Ha ha, that would be me....

Have seen this plant with a running habit multiple times in this area. This is why it can be comparatively hard to find on the market, get started from new plantings - the open spreading root system does not lend itself to transplanting.

Hmm, having second thoughts. At my age adding a plant that will make more work than it's worth is not a good idea. Now the place where this would go can be seen in this photo. The ferns to the right block the view of a narrow bed that runs along that side of the quasi road bed. To get into the main garden they would have grow under the road and up through the rockery (also hidden by ferns on the left) On the other side of the road bed (further to the right) is the drain field that gets mowed regularly and I don't think they'd cause much trouble in that area. Hmm, waffling.

Side note: The big sheet of plastic was used as a giant slip and slide. It worked great and was a source of much fun and hilarity.

if you could plant further from the road and then move to another town in 5 years it might be a good idea. Honestly, it is hard to say what a plant will do where (take garden gal's experience with it) but I am of a certain age where I would not plant it again either. I just came in awhile ago from pulling some out of my shade bed on the other side of the cinderblock shed. That meant it had to travel under a cement walk or under the cinderblock shed itself!

After this started spreading in my garden, I visited a garden on the west side of Whidbey with a hugely expensive rock patio, walkways, etc that helped to hold a bluff. The gardener had planted this throughout to give it some "quick" plant cover. I felt terrible giving her the bad news but being a newbie gardener she couldn't quite imagine that happening and had no plans to rip it out. I haven't been back since but imagine it is imbedded throughout that goldmine of a rock landscape and has probably escaped into the bluff.

Yes.

Thanks Cercis47 and Gardengal. I'm going to hold off for now.

Embothrium, say what? :) What are you saying yes to?

Does Romneya grow well as a container plant?

This is why folks grow it. If you have to plant a thug, it might

What are you saying yes to?

imagine it is imbedded throughout that goldmine of a rock landscape and has probably escaped into the bluff

Ah, I see now. Glad I posted about this before planting it. It is a beauty, but acts like a beast. I think the garden on the WS tour must have someone that regularly digs out runners from around this plant as it was only a 3 or 4 foot wide clump.

I think the behavior of some of these kinds of aggressively spreading plants is very situational :-) In 7 years my Matilja poppy never spread beyond a 3-4' clump. But then it was planted in pretty lean soil and received minimal watering. A more fertile and better irrigated location may produce different results. Same with gooseneck loosestrife, which many abhor due to its aggressive nature. My clump is well contained in dryish shade, which has tempered its spread significantly.

It depends on the plant but sometimes I am willing to put up with an aggressive behavior if the plant makes up for it other ways!!

It took a few years before mine showed it’s nasty side so one could be lulled into complacency quite easily.

BTW: 94 degrees here at my house in the PNW. My plants are definitely not ready for this heat. Full time job watering those that look the most stressed. Thank goodness we still have cool nights with some humidity. Commiserating with those of you suffering in other hot spots now

94!! Where the heck are you? Only 86 in Seattle and a cool 81 here on Bainbridge :-)

Hmm, I have the Goosestrife as well. It does spread a bit where I've got it planted, but in 7 years it's gotten up to a 7 foot clump. I will likely be pulling some of it next spring. It is a fun plant and I do enjoy the gaggle, which is just about to start showing.

94 by our thermometer in the garden yesterday. 84 here now by today’s reading. Lucklily a fairly refreshing breeze from the south moves through occasionally.

IME, the poppy is just as manageable as the loosestrife.