Gardening

Persicarias with Personality

Persicarias are not widely known or grown in gardens and perhaps a reputation for spreading quickly and widely has counted against them, but I think it’s time to take another look at them as if chosen wisely there are many beautiful and undemanding gems amongst this family. They have a personality and presence of all their own and there are varieties for sun or shade.

Starting with the flowering types, these are often recommended for boggy ground where they will romp away, but all mentioned here will also thrive in dry soils.

The low growing, weed smothering Persicaria affinis - Himalayan bistort or fleece flower forms a mat of glossy leaves and trailing stems that root easily and have short (8in / 20cm) spikes of white flowers that gradually turn brick red as they mature giving an attractive mix of colours on the plant at the same time from July to September. The leaves also take on lovely autumn colours. These are easy to keep to their allotted space as they have no deep, spreading roots. There are lots of varieties which are more or less the same. We grow “Dimity” or “Superba”

The larger pale pink bistort is a native wildflower and does have deeper roots that will eventually spread and so is useful to fill larger spaces. The variety “Superba” has larger flowers from May to June and then again in August and September.

The red bistort or mountain fleece flower (Persicaria amplexicaulis) has more choice of size and flower colour from the original brick red “Atrosanguinea” to the pure white “Alba”, the flaming “Firedance” and the soft pink of “Rosea”. These grow to about 3ft / 90cm tall in flower although there are some shorter ones like “Inverleith” (deep pink) and “Blackfield” (dark red). They grow from a surface rhizome so it is easy to chop off and remove any unwanted growth each winter. These flower from July to October.

The flowering Persicarias are all really attractive to bees and hoverflies and provide a long season of food for them.

There are also some wonderful Persicarias grown mainly for their colourful leaves, often looking like they should be tender houseplants when in fact they are really hardy. All will grow in sun or shade.

Perhaps the best known is “Red Dragon” growing to 3ft / 90cm tall with dramatic red, grey and dark green leaves. This is a clump former that doesn’t run at all. “Purple Fantasy” has even more colourful leaves with a bold “V” in white between red and green. He is shorter (30-40cm / 12-16”) tall and is more spreading. “Painter’s Palette” has pale green leaves wildly splashed and daubed in red and white. A hard, late spring frost might damage the fresh growth, but these tough plants soon grow again.

All the foliage types can be easily propagated from stem cuttings. All produce flowers but these are small and insignificant.

Persicarias are full of personality and mix well with other garden plants giving a long season of interest and with a little work can be a valuable part of your beds and borders. Why not give them a try?

Janet & I run Plant Hunters’ Fairs, specialist plant fairs at wonderful locations offering special reduced entry rates on the plant fair dates. Watch out for our 2023 calendar of plant fairs available on our website this Autumn.

We have plant fairs at Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield, Sugnall Walled Garden near Eccleshall, The Dorothy Clive Garden, Hodnet Hall, Weston Park, Carsington Water, Cholmondeley Castle, and lot’s more exciting venues across the Northwest & Midlands. Please see www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk for details.