Purple loosestrife, marsh marigold, and other top plants for damp meadows
True to its name, the soil of a damp meadow remains slightly moist throughout the summer, providing a nutrient-rich habitat where plants grow lush and vigorous.
Yellow loosestrife
Lysimachia vulgaris
Identify: Blooms from June to August, producing a sparse terminal cluster of flowers. The lanceolate leaves have fine hairs on their undersides. The plant grows to 20–160 cm tall and is native to Southern and Central Finland. It has been used as a dye and medicinal plant.
Grow: Seeds require stratification; sow them outdoors in autumn so stratification occurs naturally. Initially, growth is slow. Suitable for moist and fresh flood, shore, butterfly, and wooded meadows with nutrient-rich soil. Thrives in both sun and shade. Good as a cut flower.
Marsh marigold
Caltha palustris
Identify: Reaches a height of 15–40 cm. Flowering begins in May, with the inflorescence forming a sparse panicle. Leaves are thick, shiny, and somewhat rounded. Native throughout most of Finland.
Grow: Seeds require one month of warm stratification followed by one month of cold stratification. Sow outdoors into muddy soil in autumn to allow natural stratification. Alternatively, you can purchase seedlings. Thrives in moist or wet, nutrient-rich soils in sunny or shady locations. Suitable for moist and fresh flood and shore meadows.
Ragged-robin
Lychnis flos-cuculi
Identify: This species blooms in June–July and grows 30–60 cm tall. Petals are deeply lobed, and flowers form a loose cyme. Grows mainly in Southern Finland, occasionally found in Central Finland.
Grow: Sow seeds in moist potting soil in spring; they usually germinate well in 1–4 weeks. Thrives in moist or wet, nutrient-rich clay or humus soil in sunny or shady locations. Suitable for moist and fresh flood, shore, butterfly, and wooded meadows. Good as a cut flower.
Red campion
Silene dioica
Identify: A 20–60 cm tall species with stems that are dark red at the top and are covered in soft hairs. Blooms from June to August, towards the beginning of summer in open areas. Flowers form a loose panicle. Native throughout most of Finland.
Grow: Sow seeds in spring into moist potting soil. Thrives in both dry and moist, nutrient-rich or nutrient-poor clay or humus soils in sunny or shady locations. Suitable for moist and fresh wooded, forest, shore, and butterfly meadows. Good as a cut flower.
Yellow flag
Iris pseudacorus
Identify: Reaches 60–120 cm in height, blooming in June–July. Flowers form a cyme. Native to Southern Finland and coastal areas, also found in Central Finland. Protected in the former Provinces of Oulu and Lapland.
Grow: Plant from purchased seedlings and let them grow undisturbed. Divide the plant if it starts spreading too wide. Thrives in moist or wet, nutrient-rich clay or humus soil—even in shoreline mud—in sunny or shady locations. Suitable for moist flood, shore, and wooded meadows, fresh meadows, and near water features in gardens. Good as a cut flower.
Purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria
Identify: An upright-growing species, 40–120 cm tall, that flowers in July–August. Inflorescence is a long terminal cluster. Leaves are narrow or lanceolate and hairy. Native to Southern and Central Finland.
Grow: Seeds require one month of warm stratification followed by one month of cold stratification. Sow outdoors in pots in autumn; do not cover the seeds. Alternatively, you can purchase seedlings. Thrives in nutrient-rich clay or humus soil in sunny or shady locations. Suitable for moist and fresh shore and butterfly meadows, and near water features. Good as a cut flower.
Read more:
Cat’s foot, maiden pink, and other top plants for dry meadows [in Finnish]
Planting plan: shrubs and perennials for clay soil [in Finnish]
