Bistorta, Mountain Fleece 'Golden Arrow'

A fantastic plant! I find this one of the most useful of garden perennials, and not just in rock gardens.

One of the longe...Read Morest blooming of perennials, it blooms nonstop in a long crescendo from July to frost. Flowers are self-cleaning and do not require deadheading. I would call the color crimson or perhaps raspberry or mulberry, a deep cool luminous pinkish red that's still bright enough to read well in the landscape.

A great foliage plant, too, good for brightening shady areas. A little sun helps keep the color golden-chartreuse all through the season, too much makes it wilt frequently here in the heat of summer without regular irrigation---this is also true of the parent species and not just this cultivar. Both are best grown with some protection from afternoon sun and perform well in filtered sun or dappled woodland shade.

This is a well-behaved clump-former. Neither aggressive in the garden nor invasive in natural areas, it grows from a thick rhizome that's easily divided, vigorous but slow to spread. Late to emerge from dormancy in the spring.

This cultivar may be shorter than the species. It formed a clump 18-24" this year in part sun, and gets a bit taller in more shade.

This plant is hardy to Z4.

This is a well-behaved and non-invasive member of the Persicaria family. It has beautiful chartreuse-yellow leaves that bring light to a ...Read Moreshady spot in the garden. The flowers are more deep pink than red, and plentiful in late summer into fall. This plant has done best in moist part-shade in my garden. Maybe because of the yellow leaves, too much sun tends to wilt and scald the foliage. A real winner for me, adding a dash of color to the fern garden.