Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) Plants

A fast-growing perennial that naturally spreads quickly by seeds and rhizomes. Promptly remove spent flower stems to encourage additional blooms and to prevent unwanted self-seeding. Leaves are spirally arranged along the stem, and bright flowers adorn terminal clusters in late summer. It prefers moist, rich soils, and makes a great replacement for the invasive purple loosestrife now so common in our swales and wetlands.

Native to: Maine - Alaska, all Canadian provinces and territories, and a wide distribution in the northern U.S. states.

Growing conditions: Sun to part shade, average to wet soil.

Natural habitat: Open woods, roadsides, open fields, pastures, prairies, hills, damp ravines, logged and burned areas, and especially along streams.

Grows up to: 2-5'

Blooms: Summer