Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

I know we're looking for privacy plantings a lot so I thought I'd share one:



The common name of this plant is Giant Fleece Flower. The latin is Persicaria Polymorpha. Normally I wouldn't say the latin is that important, but in this case it's very important. This is the only plant in the whole family that is *not* invasive. The invasive kinds are nicknamed "Japanese Knotweed". I'd say anything with "weed" in the name is bad.

It grows up to six feet tall and six feet wide. Those white plumes show up in June and last all season long. I've seen them backlit by the sun and it looks beautiful.

It's forgiving with sun also, and can grow in half sun and half shade or full sun. But it's roots don't like to dry out too much, so part sun is probably best.

Only one caution - leaves, stems and flowers can be a skin irritant.

I just planted this in a six foot strip between my driveway and my neighbor's 4 foot fence. I'm reading that it grows very fast, so hopefully I'll get a few feet out of it before the fall.

I bought mine at Bluestone Perennials but if anyone is interested and I find it locally, I'll let you know.

Message edited 7/8/2011 4:20:29 PM.

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Perennial?
Spring? Summer? Fall?

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Perennial. Are you asking when it blooms? Summer to Fall.

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Thanks for sharing!! It looks beautiful and may be just the thing we need. May I ask, how expensive is it?

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Posted by greenfreak

Posted by twinkletoes807

Thanks for sharing!! It looks beautiful and may be just the thing we need. May I ask, how expensive is it?

You're welcome I like having variety, and wondered if other people would too.

The price depends on the size and where you get it. Mine was just in a 4" pot and I bought it during a clearance sale for $5.00.

Lazy S has quart sized containers for $10: Lazy S Nursery

Looks like they're the only online seller that's trustworthy with it in stock right now. If you're nervous about ordering online, check this out: Lazy S is in the Top 5 internet sellers

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

THose are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

It's my pleasure ladies! I think I've bought everything that local nurseries sell so I try to branch out.

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

Does it matter when u plant these?

Re: Tall and wide privacy plant: Giant Fleece Flower

The best time to plant most things is in spring, the second best is fall. The heat of summer isn't supposed to be good for them, but I pretty much plant nonstop from May to October without many issues. I just water deeply on a regular basis to make sure they don't dry out in the heat of the summer.