Persicaria, Fleeceflower, Knotweed, Tovara = formerly Polygonum

-
In "Perennials for Every Purpose" (c 2000) Larry Hodgson tells readers that Persicaria used to be lumped in with all fleeceflowers, into the genus Polygonum. The family was broken up into Polygonum and Fallopia. Polygonum cuspidatum is now Fallopia japonica sold as an ornamental but potentially invasive.

Most gardening books leave it out all together. What stimulated my interest is that I have one that I picked up at a free plant exchange and hear very little about it. Last night I was browsing the
Roots and Rhizomes Catalog ("for the discriminating gardener") and there it was.

R & R says Persicaria is also called Tovara and Polygonum.

Their varieties and descriptions are -
Persicaria alata: creeping, trailing and can be invasive so plant in pots.

Persicaria amplexicaulis Firetail: bright red flowers above heart shaped green leaves. Fine Gardening has a piece about it here.

Roots & Rhizomes Persicaria Painters Palette
Persicaria filiformis Painters Palette: Leaves are green with zones of mahogany, splashes of ivory.

This is the one a garden club member plunked on the freebie table with the comment, "I just want that thing out of my garden."

I love my Painters Palette Persicaria! I've moved it several times and yet it thrives. It has other names, too. Persicaria filiformis, Tovara virginiana, Polygonum virginanum, Painter's Palette fleeceflower.

Hodgson recommends Fleeceflowers/Knotweeds for containers, ground cover, rock garden, woodland garden, wet areas, etc.

Cold hardiness zones 3 to 9. No pests or diseases.

He also recommends Darjeeling Red, Superba, Dimity, Persicaria bisorta snakeweed (dnese clumps red leaves in fall.

Plant with hostas since they have similar light and moisture needs. In Minnesota Persicaria virginiana is called Jumpseed. Photos and info at the link.

Digging Dog nursery has several Persicarias including: Dimity, Persicaria amplexicaulis Alba, Atrosanguinea, Golden Arrow, Inverleith, Orange field, Rosea, Summer Dance, Taurus and Superba.

Seeds are available (and on sale) from B and T World Seeds of Persicaria affinis, Persicaria bistorta, Persicaria capitata, Persicaria emodi, Persicaria virginiana, Persicaria virginiana Painters Pallette, Persicaria viscosa, Persicaria vivipara, Persicaria weyrichii and Polygonum persicaria.



Comments

Anonymous said…
This site is really cool! I found here alot of information that I was looking for. I am really happy to be a part of This site!
November 12, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moldy Tulip Bulbs

-
Image
Moldy tulip bulbs are a big disappointment when you are hoping to fill a bed or some pots. It is not that unusual for their skins to have a bit of penicillin mold but these are beyond that tad bit stage. Mold penetrating tulip bulb  Mold on emerging tulip bulb growth  So, what to do? The plant references say to throw them out and buy new ones but I already spent $22 for 50 of these white tulip beauties. First, they got a soak in 1% bleach solution in the kitchen sink in the hope that the bleach would stop the mold from continuing to grow without killing the life force in the bulb itself. After a good slosh around, I wiped them off to see how much damage was beneath the blue and black.  This tulip bulb is soft to the touch and there is little chance it will thrive in the soil. This basal root on these have been ruined by mold. The final step I took to try to salvage part of them  was to spray them thoroughly with fungicide.  They are all planted in the
Read more

Propagate Begonia Stem Cuttings in water - Cane-like Angel Wing Begonia

-
Image
Propagating by stem cuttings is just about the easiest way to make more begonias for next summer's garden. During the fall, I regularly trim off 3-node long cuttings and put them into the growing pots where they take root. Now that cold weather has arrived, I root the stem cuttings in a vase of water. It's a great way to produce more pots of Begonias for next summer's garden. Water the plant well the day before. Take a cutting about 4-inches long, with 3 nodes, from a healthy stem. Use a perfectly clean container. Rinse the container with a drop of bleach if you are uncertain about its spotlessness. Remove all but the top leaf or two. There should be no leaves in the water. The cutting should  have a healthy leaf node at the bottom. Don't leave a stub below the node. Place the cutting into the water, and place the container out of the sun. In a couple of weeks, you will see new roots beginning to form. Check the water periodically to make sure it is still f
Read more

Create Nesting Areas for Birds and Wildlife

-
Image
From the website, Choose Natives , this lovely and instructive article helped remind me to continue to increase the amount of habitat and nesting that we provide in our garden. Many, though not all, are native or considered to be native in Oklahoma. So, I did a little research on each recommended plant and provided a link to more information. You'll see the plant name in italics - those are my links for your edification. Here's the post Derek Stoner, Project Coordinator for the Delaware Nature Society, helped restore the 860-acre Middle Run Natural Area by “intensive habitat management”, including planting 12,000 trees and shrubs.  His lecture, ‘ Native Plants for Nesting Birds: Connecting Flora and Fauna’,  given to a group of enthusiasts at the Millersville Native Plant Conference   in Pennsylvania, focused on his observations. Here are Derek’s landscaping recommendations for attracting birds: Plant shrubs in clusters (“habitat circles”) that will create the dense
Read more