This is the 2nd year for my persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' and I wish it would spread more! I'm in a hot summer area and we are often in drought. My "experimental" plant grew straight up and hasn't flopped. I trimmed off a few brown leaves from our 100 degree days in July and it sprouted new, green ones. I really like it and think it would expand faster in moist soil.

This summer, I saw this used at The Battery Gardens in NYC and the mass planting was gorgeous.

Cameron

I had 4 cultivars, of which 3 were rather polite clumpers, and 1 was an expanding clumper.They need a lot of place. I would not call it aggressive, but the foliage is so lush, that it can easily choke small neighbours. I got rid of Firetail and Inverleith, as I found them not spectacular enough and they were not selfsupporting enough in the place where I put them. I've kept Dikke Floskes as its inflorescence is at least twice as thick as others. I have also Caliente , but it was planted last year so it is too early to say. This winter both plants suffered crown damage, but both survived without protection.

Here is a link that might be useful: Descriptions of P.ampexicaulis varieties

-wieslaw59, I am so envious! I saw that 'Dikke Floskes' on another site (Here) and loved the unusual fat flower heads. 'Black Adder' was also very neat looking, have you grown it? Hopefully someday they will be sold here!

-Cameron, so pleased you chimed in. The area I wanted to put this plant in is rather hot n' dry too. Is yours also in full sun, or a bit of shade?
CMK

I know this site well. It is from Belgium but written in Dutch. It says that Black Adder is not suitable for the garden as the slightest rain will knock it down. It says that it only can be used as cut flower. Besides , there is some confusion on the market. Now I recall I also had Taurus , it was listed as short in the nursery where I bought it. On the site you've linked to, it is listed as tall

Mine is full sun -- all day long. I keep the roots shaded by growing eupatorium coelestinum 'Wayside' up against it. Literally can't see the base of my persicaria. It's at the bottom of a slope and I have monarda 'Raspberry Wine' and the chocolate Joe Pye growing behind it so that there is a background for the thin spikes. Swamp milkweed, amsonia hubrichtii are beside it.

With only one plant, I don't have a photo that really shows it well in my garden. I tried persicaria polymorpha, but couldn't keep it moist enough here.

Cameron

-wieslaw59, oh wow. Thanks so much for the translation. The flower heads of 'Black Adder' DO look like they would have trouble remaining upright during rain showers. Did your 'Dikke Floskes' have trouble with flopping during a rain?

-Cameron, that sounds like a great grouping. The reddish pink color must look especially fantastic against the chocolate Eupatorium. I might have to try that with 'Blackfield' and plant it between my Choco JP and the 'Mardi Gras' Helenium. Hummm... or maybe even in front of/next to my 'Golden Mop' Chamaecyparis, LOL. Thanks for the extra info! ;-)
CMK

christinmk, my Dikke Floskes grows in a temporary place between a tall Echinops and a small tree, so it is sheltered from wind . Up to now it stands very well and the flower heads do not break off.BTW, dikke means thick and floskes means fluffy end of a rope(something I read)

I received 'Rosea' at a plant swap & it's currently in bloom. Not as full as the Great Plant Picks below, but has clumped up since it's humble beginnings as a stem with roots in early April. It's suppose to be well-behaved not aggressive or weedy like some of the other mountain fleece. A lot of my plants flop because of too much shade from the surrounding forest trees, but this one hasn't.

By the way Great Plant Picks is a great resource even for you in eastern WA.

All plants should:

Be hardy in USDA zones 7 and 8 (0ð to 10ðF/-18ð to -12ðC)
Be long lived
Be vigorous and easy to grow by a gardener of average means and experience. Plants requiring specialist knowledge should not be considered
Be reasonably disease and pest resistant
Have long season of interest and preferably multiple seasons of interest
Be available from at least two retail plant sources in Canada and the U.S.
Be adaptable to a variety of soil and fertility conditions
Not require excessive moisture (with the exception of aquatic plants)
Not be invasive or overly vigorous in colonizing the garden or larger environment

Perennials should not require staking, continuous deadheading, or frequent division.
Trees and shrubs should require little pruning and nominal training to achieve their best form (excluding plants used for hedges).
Bulbs should persist in the garden, without being lifted, for at least three years.

Variegated plants should be stable and not revert.

Here is a link that might be useful: Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Rosea'

Just wanted to throw it out there in case anyone was curious... My 'Blackfield' did not make it thru one winter (last winter). SO sad! Such a shame, as it had a lovely color...
CMK

I really appreciate updates on such threads. Thanks CMK.

I love my peresicaria "Golden Arrow"...I love it too much (too many in my garden). But in contrast I couldn't get a couple of persicaria "Pink Elephant" to survive...who can figure.

Glad you thought it useful Doug! Totally agree with you.

Oftentimes there are enthusiastic posts about a certain new cultivar first year and then suddenly you hear little or no comments on it (presume it is cuz' the next greatest new thing has just come out to enrapture us?! Lol). It is great to get reports in the next years too, since we all know you can't tell how reliable a plant will be until third year usually!

Good to hear you give a thumbs up to 'Golden Arrow' still. I had it in the back of my mind to give it a try someday. Is it pretty vigorous? In a protected spot or out in the open? Do you think the leaf color holds well in a shaded site, or best in more sun?
CMK

My GArrow does really well with very little direct sun....let's call it filtered sunlight. (In fact I had a couple in a location receiving 4 hours of direct afternoon sun and they wilted badly.)

This particular persicaria is very well behaved i.e. non spreading and say 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet.

The bright foliage just lights up a darker corner of a garden. I know I have posted (too) many pictures of a large clump of mine on GW...I just don't recall which thread. In any event see below for probably the same picture taken in August from this past season (2 plants).

{{gwi:249563}}

Thanks much for the info (and pic!) Doug!
CMK