Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'

This new persicaria should be especially enticing to gardeners. It's a non-running form -- sterile so it's not seed invasive, non-stoloniferous so it's not root invasive.

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon' is a vigorous grower that trades one display of color for another as the season rolls along. A clump-forming perennial, 'Red Dragon' does well in combination plantings when mixed with annuals or perennials. It is an excellent product for a 1-gallon program.

Set off with red stems, this vigorous grower boasts spring leaves that are deep-burgundy with a plum or mint-colored chevron and a metallic sheen. Summer foliage becomes greener, accented by a red leaf margin and a red chevron on a red stem. While cooler areas are rewarded with better color in late summer, 'Red Dragon' is a splendid selection for any garden in the United States and Canada.

Small white flowers appear in early summer, but are insignificant.

Height is 24 inches; width can run from 30 to 40 inches. Its growth rate is vigorous but the plant is not invasive.

'Red Dragon' tolerates most soils, including heavy clay. It is suitable for borders, beds, rockeries or as a container perennial.

SuperStarts available

'Red Dragon' originated at Crystal Palace Perennials in St. John, Ind., and is being introduced commercially by several growers. One of those growers, Skagit Gardens in Mount Vernon, Wash., is producing 'Red Dragon,' along with other perennial liners, in SuperStarts, a deep 72-cell tray designed with ridges that help roots grow down instead of spiraling around the plant.

Skagit Gardens, a business unit of International Garden Products, has improved its shipping by placing Tipper-Tie-Net over each 72-cell tray to hold plants in their cells. Trays are then placed in boxes with moisture-resistant shelves to stabilize plants during shipment.

'Red Dragon' has no significant pest and disease problems.

Propagation is via cuttings; licensing is required for commercial propagation.

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Specifics

Name: Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'

Common name: Smartweed, knotweed, fleeceflower.

Family: Polygonaceae.

Description: Clump-forming perennial; spring leaves are deep-burgundy with a plum or mint-colored chevron and a metallic sheen; stems are reddish.

Hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zones 4-9.

Landscape uses: Borders, accents, mixed containers, massed; effective combined with silver-foliage plants such as artemisia and yellow-flowered plants like coreopsis.

For more: Skagit Gardens, 3100 Old Highway 99 South, Mount Vernon, WA 92873; (360) 424-6144; fax (360) 424-8644; e-mail sales@skagitgardens.com; www.skagitgardens.com. Crystal Palace Perennials Ltd., P.O. Box 154, St John, IN 46373; (219) 374-9419; fax (219) 374-9052; e-mail info@crystalpalaceperennials.com; www.crystalpalaceperennials.com.

- Kevin Neal