Persicaria Indian Summer - Knotweed

The 'Indian Summer' Persicaria is a beautiful wild form of knotweed recently collected in India. It forms a lovely mass of leafy stems and establishes vigorously in moist soil, without becoming uncontrollable. Still relatively unknown in France, it stands out with its numerous clusters of exquisite ruby red flowers, and its beautiful round leaves that turn purple in the sun. This knotweed blooms continuously from July until the first frost. A fabulous ground cover that blends well in a naturalistic garden, reminiscent of tall grasses.

The Persicaria or Polygonum 'Indian Summer' is a plant in the Polygonaceae family. It is a botanical form discovered in the Mishmi hills (India) by Michael Wickenden, a passionate plant collector and curator of Cally Gardens in Scotland. This variety, still rarely found in French gardens, forms a clump 60 to 80 cm (24 to 32in) tall when in bloom and spreads quite rapidly, depending on the richness of the soil, to form imposing clumps after several years. The 'Indian Summer' Persicaria produces numerous clusters of shiny rose-red floral buds, revealing a tender pink heart when they open. Flowering is continuous from July-August until the frost, as long as the soil doesn't dry out too much. The leaves, carried by sturdy stems, are ovate and have a medium green colour when the plant is in shade. The stems and leaves take on a beautiful purplish hue when exposed to the sun.

Very versatile, this knotweed fits well in both contemporary gardens and wilder settings, and creates stunning autumn scenes with grasses such as Miscanthus and Panicum. Thanks to its spreading habit, it can be used as a ground cover, provided it is given enough space. This knotweed enjoys both sun and partial shade. It thrives in rich, heavy, moist, or even very wet soils, and can be grown independently on sunny pond banks, along a sunken path, or in a cool, semi-shaded woodland at the base of trees. Asters, Japanese anemones, and inulas are good companions for knotweeds, in the garden or in bouquets, as they also flower until autumn. Selinum wallichianum and Thalictrum delavayi 'Album' create an interesting contrast alongside it, against a backdrop of deciduous euonymus, Viburnum x hillieri 'Winton', splendid in autumn.