RE: Japanese knotweed or Polygonum cuspidatum

Hi Marge,
 I think the reason I don't see many perennial seedlings in my flower beds
is because they are so heavily planted there is no bare earth for the seeds
to land on.  But anything near a gravel path makes plenty of "volunteers" in
the path.  I have tried an experiment this year of sowing my red creeping
thyme seeds directly onto the gravel path.  Maybe I can save a ton on pots
and seedling mix!?  :)

Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs Nursery
Portland, Oregon


-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-perennials@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf
Of Marge Talt
Sent:	Friday, March 21, 2003 12:25 AM
To:	perennials@hort.net
Subject:	Re: Japanese knotweed or Polygonum cuspidatum

No, Marilyn, they aren't the same tho' they are, I think, the same
species, but I will not swear to this:-)  'Painter's Palette' has the
dark chevron (not so much red for me, but that may be the heat) with
white-cream patches you describe, while 'Variegata' is green with
white and white spots - the bit I got had an almost totally white
leaf.  I think 'Variegata' is supposed to get up to 6' tall - at
least that's what my friend who gave me the bit said it does for
her...she is a bit south of me in VA.

'Painter's Palette' gets about 30" tall for me in sunnier spots and
spreads via seeds, not rhizome action.  I had my original plant for
several years before I noticed a seedling (it seeds true) quite
removed from the parent plant location - like 150 feet away, up a
hill and around the corner of the house!  Well, from then on, it has
popped up all over the map.  Easy to pull or move as young plants,
but seeds all over.  So, give your plants some time without
deadheading and see what happens.  It may be a climate thing, too...I
dunno, but our climates are quite different, which may account for
seedlings here and not where you are.  Some plants need long, hot
summers to mature seed...tho' I would not have thought this the case
with 'Painter's Palette', given its genus...

I don't blame you for getting tired of name changes.  As well as I
understand what's going on with taxonomy, it does tend to get on the
nerves...and my old brain recoils and refuses to remember:-)

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
-----------------------------------------------
Current Article: Wild, Wonderful Aroids Part 4 - Arisaema
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
------------------------------------------------
Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
------------------------------------------------
All Suite101.com garden topics :
http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635



----------
> From: Marilyn Dube <mygarden@easystreet.com>
>
> Marge,
> Is Persicaria virginiana 'Variegata' the same plant as Persicaria
virginiana
> 'Painter's Palette'?  People are fearful of it, but it is very well
behaved
> here in our mild climate.  I would think if it was going to go
berserk, it
> would do so here.  I planted 3 - 4" pots about 5 years ago.  They
are still
> well separated, nice clumps of very pretty leaves about 18" high
with big
> splashes of cream and the famous red chevron.  Peculiar little red
wand
> flowers in late summer....I used to cut them off until my customers
told me
> how choice they were  as cuts.  They have had every opportunity to
self sow
> and don't.  So I would say this is one Persicaria that is very well
behaved.
>  I also grow P. 'Red Dragon' for its beautiful silvery foliage
marked with
> dark red and P. amplexicaule 'Fire Tail' which blooms forever.
Both are
> behaving nicely so far but I've only had them 2 years. (Beginning
of soap
> box)  And because I'm sick of taxonomy changing botanical names
every other
> year, I'm not changing the name of Persicaria again.  It doesn't
matter
> anyway, as  DNA is done on all the plants, we'll be getting some
surprise
> results and the names of everything will change again - once and
for all.
> (End of soap box).
>
> Marilyn Dube'
> Natural Designs Nursery
> Portland, Oregon
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	owner-perennials@hort.net [o*@hort.net]
On Behalf
> Of Marge Talt
> Sent:	Tuesday, March 18, 2003 11:44 PM
> To:	perennials@hort.net
> Subject:	Re: Japanese knotweed or Polygonum cuspidatum
>
> > From: ECPep@aol.com
> ><A HREF="http://fisher.bio.umb.edu/knotweed/";>Click here: The
> Japanese Knotweed Page: Research on Fallopia japonica and Related
> Species</A>
> >This page suggests all relatives may be a problem.
> ------------
> Interesting, Claire.  I am not plagued with this weedy one (thank
> heavens...I have enough plaguey plants), but I did buy Polygonum
> cuspidatum 'Crimson Beauty' (now Fallopia japonica 'Crimson Beauty
> according to RHS Plant Finder) from Plant Delights back in '96 with
a
> certain amount of fear and trepidation.  However, true to Tony's
> word, this plant seems to be a clump former.  I even moved it a
> couple years ago and there was absolutely no sign of rhizome
> activity.  So far, have seen no seedlings, either and have never
> gotten around to dead-heading.  It's a very attractive plant, BTW,
> just like his catalog described:-)
>
> Other than this plant, all Polygonum, Persicaria, Fallopia,
> whatever-they-now-call-it, members of this family bear watching,
tho'
> I would not go so far as to say they are *all* a problem.  They can
> be lovely in the right location or devour the garden, depending on
> the plant, climate, soil, etc.  Some are very easy to remove; some
> are not.  I would not 'never' grow any, simply because of their
often
> aggressive ways, but the gardener needs to grow them with their
eyes
> open to the possibilities.
>
> I was given a bit of P. virginianum 'Variegatum' last year; barely
> rooted, it hung on and I planted it in a triangle formed by 3 large
> trees, figuring the root competition might keep it in check.  We
> shall see:-)  It supposedly can move out if given ideal conditions.
> My goal is to have the marvelous foliage (supposed to get about 5'
> tall or so) without it realizing any plans for world domination...
>
> I grew what was P. cuspidatum 'Afghan' from seed a number of years
> ago.  It is not hardy for me, but makes a very attractive
> groundcover...it has seeded into some large pots of Brugmansia,
where
> I leave it and seeded into the gravel floor of the greenhouse,
where
> I pull it out.  In a place where it was hardy, I think it would
> really cover ground.  This is a very low-growing plant with a
purple
> chevron on the leaf, reddish stems and little pink ball
> flowers...cute.
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Editor:  Gardening in Shade
> -----------------------------------------------
> Current Article: Wild, Wonderful Aroids Part 4 - Arisaema
> http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
> ------------------------------------------------
> Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
> http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
> ------------------------------------------------
> All Suite101.com garden topics :
> http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index