My son lives above Burlington, VT (Zone 3?). When I visit I enjoy seeing the progress of his garden. This June my eye was caught by a 3-4 ft perennial or shrub with white plumed flowers. He wasn't sure of its name (it's his neighbor's) but thought it was persicaria. Uh, no. Can't find anything. Do goatsbeards flower that early? Anyone have any ideas?
Tall plant with white plumes
No Goatsbeard in June,July is when they bloom even into August.
Hard to name your plant with out a picture.Maybe someone else will have an idea.
I do not grow Goatsbeard, but some of the pics are from mid june. Is this the plant you are looking for. Maybe different types bloom at different times. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/16/
Could be Queen of the Prairie too, they have a white form.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/68/
Hey Lee Anne! Welcome back. Where you been hiding?!
Hi Victor!! Good to be back, I've been lurking...stupid shift work, took me a while to get used to it...had me brain dead for a bit, recovered now ^_^
I asked my son to send me a picture, and he did better--he looked it up in Missouri Botanical Garden (mobot.org). It's persicaria polymorpha, also called knotweed, in the polygonaceae family. He says the flowers last for weeks--but the Japanese beetles love them. According to the posts on mobot, its stunning white panicles that last all summer. Where has this plant been all my life?!
Invasive!!!!
Don't do it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!!
I grow this plant. It blooms in June. (picture is on June 27) and sporadically, it re-blooms after I cut it back in early July. It has a few new blooms now. Persicaria polymorpha. So far so good, but it is big. I love it. Patti
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2203/
I love that combination of plants.
Ordered three dwarf Oakleaf Hyds. as backdrop for the end of my long garden.
It was a big help to me when you posted it awhile ago.
Love that shot Patti!
Thanks, This picture is from the what I call "Long Bed Middle" . I do love my oak leaf hydrangea so much. I wish I could plant them outside the deer fenced area, but the deer love them too, here. But what they don't love is growing smaller. Patti
The knotweed that you want to stay away from is Polygonum cuspidatum, listed by several states on the USDA Plants Database as a noxious invasive, and guess who brought it in and encouraged it's use? USDA!
My Hydrangeas are Pee Wee from Forest Farm.
When I saw yours Patti I knew that was the bush for the end of the 75 foot gardem that ends on the neighbors line.Under the Spruces.
They are a nice backdrop for Phlox, JapIris, TBI and an agastache I will have to move .
I always like the long shots of a garden best, closeups are great too, but as a newer gardner here I get ideas as to plant groupings.
The three Hyds are between the yellow FataMorgana and slightly behind the Butterfly bush.
They are very small,just planted end of July but looking darker green and perky.
Lovely scene Patti. Is that a spirea? If so which one? Such a nice combination of plants you have put together there, really nice. I have two Oakleaf hydrangeas and the Bambi family got after them the first three years. Last year they either didn't find them or they are getting too tall for the deer to get the tasty new growth. I almost pulled them out, now if this keeps up I will be glad I never got around to doing it. :) That knotweed is all around on the sides of the interstate out here, its not called weed for nothing.
I've been growing persicaria polymorpha for 14 years with absolutely no problem. I love it too. It is big, for sure. I love how it gets the red specks in it. It's in bloom for a long time. It can get about 5-6 feet tall, and wide.
What does it do for you Lee Ann, that's invasive? So far mine has stayed put, but grew taller each year for a number of years. I was going to divide some this year. I will wait until I hear if it's going to get invasive, though :). The persicarias and polygonums have had their names changed so many times, it's easy to confuse them. Polygonum perfoliatum is actually nicknamed 'mile-a-minute'.
Here's a nice picture of it from Brent and becky's.
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/summer/productview/?sku=89-17
Mine was horrid!!
It began sending new shoots up 15 or more feet away from the main plant. I found it springing up in my veggie garden(which has mostly raspberries) and way over in the perennial bed. It's been 4 years since I ripped it out and I still find the odd piece trying to grow...had to dig and sift the soil and couldn't plant anything but annuals there..still can't actually...it pops up even still, must have missed the odd leaf or tiny bit of root.
Are you sure it was the same one? I have not had any spreading in 14 years. There are so many different persicarias and polygonums. Even Brent and Becky describe it as clump forming. Could you have possibly had one of the other varieties, which can be running?
If you're positive that was the one you had, I will certainly proceed with caution. Thank you.
Since Patti has it also, please Patti, let me know if yours stayed in a clump.
This message was edited Aug 11, 2008 6:54 PM