Description

• Fireweed is a perennial with a compact, clumping form. The medium-textured foliage is dense, with alternate, lancelike leaves. The rich, purplish-rose flowers appear from June to September on spikes at the tips of the leaves. Flowers have four petals and are about 1 inch across. Fireweed grows from 3 to 5 feet tall and sets fruit in the fall, producing seed-filled pods that open from the top down to release downy seeds that wind carries away.
  
  

Culture

• Fireweed prefers to grow in full sun, but tolerates some shade, so it is perfect for the climate in California. Because of its rapid and aggressive spreading habit, make sure the planting site is large enough for fireweed. The plant thrives in almost any type of moist, well-drained soil with a pH between 4.8 and 7.0. Plant the seeds directly into the garden in the fall. The resulting plant will flower in its second year. Fireweed readily roots from cuttings, or dig up and transplant the rhizomes. Fireweed is one of the first plants to grow after a wildfire in the California hills and canyons, and are easily dug up and transplanted to the home landscape.
  
  

Control

• Fireweed becomes a pest if allowed to grow and spread unchecked. The plant invades other parts of the garden, filling in every open space and gradually choking its rivals out of existence. To eliminate unwanted or escaped fireweed plants, dig them up and replace them with a less aggressive plant. To prevent escapes, confine fireweed plants to areas next to hard surfaces such as sidewalks or garden edgings like bricks or stones. If the plant gets too far out of control, sever rhizomes around the plant you want to keep and spray the invaders with systemic herbicides.
  
  

Uses

• Take advantage of fireweed's long blooming period and eye-catching flowers in flowerbed borders or mass them together for a sea of bright color. Fireweed grows well in containers, which inhibit the plant's tendency to reproduce itself indiscriminately. Because fireweed is also fire-resistant, plant it around property lines in areas threatened by California's frequent wildfires. Cook fireweed leaves for a flavorful side dish, treat the shoots like asparagus or make a medicinal tea by steeping the leaves. The tea is a mild laxative but also an anti-inflammatory said to relieve hemorrhoid flareups.