Fleece Flower

Fleece Flower is a name that may strike terror into the heart of anyone who has had a run-in with Japanese Knotweed. I've struggled with Knotweed myself and can tell you firsthand that it is a horribly invasive plant that is next to impossible to irradiate. 

Fleece Flower, Persicaria polymorpha and Knotweed look very similar, so the confusion with these two plants is understandable. But unlike Knotweed, Persicaria polymorpha does not spread or self-seed. It's a clump-forming perennial that has been well-behaved in my garden for at least a decade.

Fleece Flower in my garden.

Giant Fleece Flower (on the middle right) mixing in with other late-season perennials 

at Grange Hollow Nursery.

Though it has the proportions of a large shrub, Fleece Flower is a herbaceous perennial that dies right back to the ground in fall. New growth rockets upward each spring, and by the end of June, it's almost six feet tall. In July it is covered in big white plumes. As they age, the flowers take on an attractive pinkish hue (see picture above). The flowers do have one minor flaw. Their fragrance is acidic and a bit unpleasant (in my humble opinion).

My Persicaria polymorpha is in a somewhat sheltered spot against a fence, but the plant's stems are so sturdy I don't imagine you'd have to stake them even in a more open location. My plant gets morning sun/afternoon shade, but I have seen them planted in full sun.

Fleece Flowers are pretty adaptable to a range of soils. I have never had to water my plant, even during a drought, so I'd say it's pretty adaptable to a range of moisture conditions as well. 

Japanese Beetles seem to the only pests. They haven't been a huge nuisance, but they do like the flowers. 

Plant type: Perennial

Height: 3-6 ft

Spread: 3-5 ft

Flower: White

Bloom period: Summer

Leaf: Green, lance-shaped leaf

Light: Sun to part-shade

Companion Plants: Ornamental grasses, Echinacea, Rudbeckia

Divide: Spring or fall

Problems: Japanese Beetles

USDA Zones: 4-9

 Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon' at the Niagara Botanical Garden 

Fleece Flower, Persicaria microcephala can be a problem plant. The species plant is native to China where it can be found in moist grasslands and forested areas.  It spreads by stolon or runners which are stems that grow at the surface or just below the ground.

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon' is a sterile cultivar that is clump-forming. The reason to grow this perennial is the interesting lance-shaped foliage with its lipstick-red stems. The leaves are purplish-brown with a blue-green chevron in the spring. By summer the leaves are silvery-purple and become greener in the fall (in hotter climates the leaf color change may not be as dramatic).

'Red Dragon' has small white flowers from September to October.  Like Giant Fleece Flower it is tolerant of a number of soil types including clay. 'Red Dragon' prefers somewhat moist conditions, so water it well especially in its first year.

I have tried to overwinter this plant without success. In colder climates, like mine, you may need to grow this as an annual or overwinter it in a protected spot.

Plant type: Perennial

Height: 23-35 inches (60-90 cm)

Spread: 23-35 inches (60-90 cm)

Flower: Tiny white flowers

Bloom period: Summer

Leaf: Lance-shaped, green, silver and bronze leaf

Light: Sun to part-shade

Divide: Spring or fall

Problems: No serious problems

USDA Zones: 5-8

A really short Youtube video that may give you the best idea 

of the size and shape of 'Red Dragon'

More Pretty Pockets

I would complain about the lack of rain in the last post I did on my garden. Now it seems to do nothing, but rain. That's it! No more grumbling about the weather!

Even though the downpours have kept me indoors, the garden is better for the rain. That is something to be grateful for.

Last summer I grew these Lupins from seed and now I think I'm hooked on growing lupins.

I started them in one of my nursery beds with the idea of planting them out into the garden once they matured, but things did not go entirely to plan. The first lupins I attempted to move wilted horribly. Slowly they are coming back from the brink of disaster.  I decided to leave the rest in the nursery bed for now.

In future, I think will have to grow them in their final position in the garden or start them in small pots so the roots are less disturbed when they are transplanted.

I still have a lot to learn about growing lupins. 

They like slightly acid, free-draining soil that is on the poor side. My soil isn't very acidic, but they seem to have done well enough.

I have been trying to show different areas of the garden in each post.

This is one of the views just inside the back gate.

Giant White Fleece Flower, Persicaria Polymorpha is one of those plants I love because it is so tall. Mine is in part shade, but usually you see it growing in full sun. One drawback: the flowers have a mild, but unpleasant smell. Height: 90-120 cm (35-47 inches), Spread: 80-90 cm (31-35 inches). Average to moist conditions. Zones: USDA 3-9

 

The Sweet Rocket has started to fade and is setting seed.

Anemone canadensis is an aggressive spreader, but lucky for me I planted it in an area where it can only go so far. It has single white flowers in June.  This anemone likes normal to moist conditions and soil that is rich inorganic matter. Part shade. Height: 30-60 cm (11-22 inches). USDA Zones: 4-8.

They are almost finished, but you can still see a few white and purple Japanese Irises.

I don't know if you remember this picture. 

This is the little garden retreat we started in late summer 2013. The plan was to build a gazebo and this gravel courtyard was phase 1.

Here we are in 2015. Call this phase 2.

We installed a temporary gazebo until we have the time and money to build the permanent structure. The red adirondack chairs moved out onto the lawn into a circle around our fire pit. My old wicker furniture moved in. To freshen things up, I added a few new pillows.

The temporary gazebo keeps off the rain and gives us a little extra shade when the sun shines. The canvas top also stops black walnuts from dropping on our heads!

These Columbine have been so pretty I hope you will forgive me a another picture of them.

The tag on this plant reads"Patio Clematis." I am sorry to have nothing more specific about the cultivar. I really like the short height (around 5ft). They are prefect for a small plant support or obelisk.

This white Clematis 'Hyde Hall' continues to put on a great show.

Meadow Rue slumped down in the rain.

The first of my peonies have been weighed down to the ground with all the rain we've had.

My poor white peonies! 

I grabbed some scissors and picked bunches for the house.

My favourite pink peonies are yet to come....

Garden Canadensis, Part 3: More Plants & Planting Combinations

In this, the third in a series of blog posts on Garden Canadensis, Chen and Linda's country garden located near Milton, Ontario, we will take a look at interesting perennials and plant pairings for sun and part shade.

(In case you missed the earlier posts here are links: Part 1 and Part 2.)

Planting Combination: Penstemon 'Dark Towers' and Geranium 'Rozanne' and Lavender, Lavandula.

Why this works: Though I am focusing in on the flowers at the moment, I want to take a second and point out the valuable role that the conifers play in this grouping. The blooms in this combination of plants are dainty and their stems are fine and wispy. They flower would tend less noticable without the wonderful and varied backdrop of green that the conifers provide.

Even though the flowers colors are all quite different in this combination of plants, they all have a purply cast that makes the grouping cohesive.

Penstemon 'Dark Towers': Height: 60-90 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm. Full sun. Normal, sandy or clay soil are fine. Average to dry conditions. Zones: USDA 3-9

Geranium 'Rozanne': Height: 30-50 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm. Full sun to part shade. Normal, sandy or clay soil are fine. Average to moist soil.

Chen says, "I have had this Geranium for years. It is a reliable and forgiving beauty."

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum: Height: 15-20 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm. Full sun to part shade. Normal, sandy or clay soil are fine. It tolerates a range of soil conditions: dry to average or moist soil. Zones: USDA 3-9

 Chen Notes: " I like its pale pink flowers and nice green foliage for the front of borders. It spreads fast,  bordering on weedy."

Lavender, Lavandula

Plant Combination: Pale pink Geranium sanguineum var. striatum and Lavender, Lavandula. 

Why this works: Delicate and pretty in combination is always charming.

On the subject of Lavender, Chen writes: 

"This is one of the 'must have' perennials in my garden. I grow them for their ornamental foliage and flowers, and for their easily controlled, neat habit. Most of the Lavandula in my garden are from seeds I sowed many years ago. They self-sow a little, but not enough."

Those of you who regularly follow my blog know that I have struggled to grow Lavender successfully, so I asked Chen if he gave his plants any special treatment:

"The only thing I pay attention to for Lavandula are: not to locate them in a wet spot, give them as much light as possible and a pruning to keep a tidy shape. I do not have any special soil preparation for them. In fact, they seem to do equally well in poor soil. Some of them have even self-sown in the crevices of standing rocks."

Plant Combination: Another mix using Pale pink Geranium sanguineum var. striatum. Here it is combined with ground cover Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'.

Sedum rupestre 'Angelina': Height: 15-20 cm, Spread: 45-60 cm. Full sun. Dry to Average  conditions. Zones: USDA 3-9

Astrantia major 'Roma': Average to moist soil and part shade to sun are best for Astrantia. Height: 60-90 cm, Spread: 45-60, USDA Zones: 3-9

Plant pairing: Chen combines his Astrantia major 'Roma' with a Japanese Iris and purple Geranium 'Rozanne'. See a picture of the mix of all three plants on Chen's website.

In Chen's garden, a problem with voles means he has to struggle to keep his Astrantia flourishing. This area of the garden gets morning sun and passes into shade mid-afernoon.

Giant White Fleece Flower, Persicaria Polymorpha: Height: 90-120 cm, Spread: 80-90 cm. Full sun to part shade. Average to moist conditions. Zones: USDA 3-9

Chen writes:

"This is a lovely giant perennial. I am fortunate to have enough room in my garden to accommodate it. It is used as a bold structure plant and has attractive creamy-white plumes that bloom for a long time from late spring."

Plant Pairing: Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' and Penstemon 'Husker's Red'. You can see Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' in the foreground on the left. The front of a border is a perfect place for it.

Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising': Height: 30-45 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm. Full sun. Tolerates a range of conditions: dry to average and moist soil. Zones: The jury is still out on the true hardiness of this cultivar.

Plant Pairing: Coreopsis verticillata with burgundy Heuchera 

Why this works: The soft cloud of ferny Coreopsis verticillata makes a nice backdrop for the wands of tiny Heuchera flowers. 

On the subject of Coreopsis verticillata, Chen notes:

"I have had this for years. I don't particularly like the yellow flowers, but the ferny, refreshing green foliage makes it worth having around."

Coreopsis verticillata: Height: 30-45 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm. Full sun. Tolerates a range of conditons: dry to average and moist soil. Zones: USDA 4-9.

Gypsophillia cerastoides: This little pink flower caught my eye in Chen's rock garden. On his website, he warns that it self-sows to the point of being weedy. It sure is pretty though!

Lychnis coronaria: is a short lived perennial. Height: 60-90 cm, Spread: 45-50 cm. Full sun. Normal, sandy or clay soil are fine. Average to dry conditions. Zones: USDA 3-9

Chen notes,"This flower color is a little too bright to mix easily with other plants. The silvery foliage is what I want. It self-sows quite a bit, bordering on weedy."

Chen:

"The 'Dragon's Head' is an interesting group of perennials with various shades of attractive bluish flowers. It is most commonly grown by rock gardeners. Some books have warned that this is a highly invasive group of plants. It is my belief that only some of Dracocephalums behave badly."

See Chen's collection of Dracoephalum and read his full notes here.

Final Plant combination: Dianthus and Heuchera' Paris'

Chen:

"I used to think of Dianthus mostly as fillers, because they are easy to sow from seeds. Over the years I have come to like them as much as other ornamental perennials... 

Dianthus propagates from seeds and grows easily. Although they produce tons of seeds each season, so far, I find that they mostly self-sow in their own little patch and do not run around wildly like Forget-Me-Nots. 

I find the taller varieties have floppy habits. All my Dianthus look like brown patches in late summer. You can easily do a clean-up by pruning off the brown tops, but if you want some self-sown babies, you need to save some for seeds. If you are willing to address these shortcomings in your composition and maintenance schedule, Dianthus belongs in your garden."

In the final post on Chen's garden we will look at his impressive collection of conifers and see how he has combined them beautifully with other plants.

Have a wonderful weekend!