How to Care Persicaria

Knotweeds 'Atrosanguinea', which is sometimes also known as Mountain Fleece or red bistort, is a type of knotweed bred for its long red flowers which give it it’s ‘bloody’ name. It is hardy and robust, and useful for providing both color and bulk to beds or as a perennial border.

Knotweeds 'Superba' is distinct for its spikes of tiny pale pink flowers that mature to a deep red. A dwarf cultivar of Persicaria affinis, its name acknowledges its beauty. This plant makes an attractive ground cover that changes color throughout the year - it blooms in the summer and its leaves become bronze-colored in the fall.

Considered unique for its blood-red spikes that are present from summer to fall, this cultivar's name can be attributed to its black-tipped tapers. As opposed to other amplexicaulis, the knotweeds 'Blackfield' is taller and will bloom dark red, long-lived flowers. It can be used in borders and as a ground cover.

Knotweeds 'Superba', known for its ornate pink spikes, is a hardy perennial that unfurls its elliptical leaves in a dense, clumping habit. Flourishing in damp soils, its wand-like, dense flower clusters appear in spring and early summer, attracting pollinators to its low-lying foliage that thrives in sun to partial shade.

Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (Persicaria orientalis) is an heirloom annual that can grow to 2.5 m tall. Native to China, it has been growing in the United States for the past two centuries. It is a fast grower and will adapt to any climate. Blooms magenta or lighter red flowers from early summer to first frost.

Vietnamese coriander gives many culinary dishes of Southeast Asia that unique touch because of its pungent peppery taste with a hint of coriander. The herb is called the "laksa leaf" by Singaporeans because it's so common to add it to laksa dishes. Vietnamese coriander is a herbaceous perennial found in tropical Asian countries.

Most Japanese knotweeds have white flowers, but knotweeds 'Darjeeling Red' produces 15 cm-long brushes of dense flowers that start a pinkish white and darken to a deep crimson color in autumn. This plant grows up to 25 cm tall, so is shorter than some other varieties of Knotweed, but it's immensely popular as an edging plant and it's also a rock garden favorite.

Pink knotweed (Persicaria capitata) is an evergreen perennial plant that grows up to 15 cm tall and 1.5 m long. Pink knotweed grows best in full sun and thrives in a variety of soil conditions. Pink knotweed is often cultivated as ground cover. It is considered an invasive weed in some regions.

Species of pteroxygonum are twining vines growing from a large woody globe-shaped tuber. Their leaves are broad and palmate with a dark red mark around each primary leaf vein. The inflorescence is in the form of an axillary raceme. The flowers are bisexual with five spirally arranged tepals eight stamens joined at the base and three styles also joined up to about the middle. Their fruits are in the form of winged three-angled achenes. As of spring 2019 two species are recognized. Their native range is from Tibet to southeast China.

The reynoutria form a very small genus of large, flowering plants in the buckwheat (sometimes called knotweed) family. A few species within this genus are utilized by beekeepers for their pollen production. The genus on the whole, however, is more famous for hosting several invasives, most notable among these being Japanese Knotweed (R. japonica). Japanese Knotweed, now found in temperate regions around the world, is considered one of the most aggressive and harmful invasive plant species on the planet.

Species of bistorta are perennial herbaceous plants. Their roots are fibrous forming rhizomes. They have erect unbranched stems. Their leaves are usually longer than wide mostly basal but with some arranged alternately on the stems. The inflorescences are spikelike. The individual flowers have five white to purple-pink (rarely red) tepals. The flowers are bisexual although the 5–8 stamens are sometimes poorly developed. There are three styles. The fruits are in the form of achenes that are brown or dark brown unwinged and three-angled. As of winter 2019 about 42 species are accepted. Bistorta species are native throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere as far south as Mexico in North America and Thailand in Asia.

Woodland threadstem is genus containing only a single species. Woodland threadstem is a very small annual spreading or climbing plant with very thin, hairy stems. The tiny leaves are lobed or heart-shaped and may be green or pink. The plant may sprawl across the ground in a thin layer or may form small patches here and there. The plant bears tiny bright pink flowers. The plant is native to the United States and Northwestern Mexico.

Wild Buckwheat are noted for their woolly leaves and petite, delicately cupped blooms arranged in a cluster. This diverse range of perennials, annuals, and evergreen shrubs are native to North America. Wild Buckwheat are wildflowers that are often cultivated for rock and alpine gardens and are drought tolerant.