Day 212: Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy'

Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year

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Here’s a fancy knotweed – Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’. I can’t remember quite where I first saw it – perhaps in one of the glorious container displays by the porch at Great Dixter – but I knew it would soon be in my garden. Persicarias often get a rough deal, since the foliage could be mistaken for dock leaves (if you had a bucket on your head and your eyes closed, but...you know. People.). There’s no mistaking these leaves though, with their characteristic chevron bruising. It’s a tough plant too, and spreads with little encouragement – I’ve yet to let mine loose in the garden, confining it for now to a single pot, though soon to be several as I want more and, fortunately, it’s easy to propagate either by cuttings or by division.


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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, writer, photographer, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking this image.