Persicaria virginiana Painters Palette - Virginia Knotweed

Persicaria virginiana or Painter's Palette Knotweed is aptly named for its original and variegated foliage, forming a thick carpet where green, white, pale yellow splashed with pink, and chocolate colours blend together, in the form of a V-shaped mark that adorns the centre of each leaf. It sometimes displays sparse spikes adorned with a few small bright pink flowers. This deciduous and very hardy perennial makes an impact, whether planted en masse, in isolation, or even in a pot. It thrives in moist but well-drained soil, in partial shade or non-scorching sun.

Persicaria virginiana is a plant native to Japan, the Himalayas, and northeastern United States. In nature, it grows in partial shade on riverbanks, on forest edges, and even on cliffs and in moist rocks, naturally displaying a great diversity in the appearance of its foliage. The 'Painter's Palette' cultivar is a variegated form of this robust herbaceous perennial. It forms a deciduous clump, 60cm (24in) tall and 40cm (16in) wide, starting from spring. This plant does not sucker. It bears large velvety leaves, 8cm (3in) long, ovate and elongated, splashed with colours like ivory, green, cream yellow, and pink. The centre of each leaf is marked with a purple-chocolate V. The flowering is sporadic, occurring in late summer and autumn, in the form of rare spikes bearing a few small pink flowers. When it does flower, it is followed by the formation of pods containing mature seeds that 'jump' beyond the mother plant when disturbed.

In ornamental gardens, the 'Painter's Palette' polygonum can be used as a relatively tall ground cover, planted in groups or in shaded borders. It pairs well with ferns and hostas, rodgersias, heucheras, etc. It can also be grown in pots to admire its unique foliage up close.