WILD WAY: OCTOBER 2022

6 ORNAMENTAL GRASSES, WHITE BISTORTA, AUTUMN

I fell in love with Bistorta (the plant formerly known as Persicaria) a number of years ago. No one was really planting them except for a few stately gardens that had inherited the bog standard dull red type, not really knowing why they still grew it except for its ease. When suddenly, some fairly recent breeding introduced new colours alongside funky foliage species teleporting onto nursery stands at specialist plant fairs. Eyes were opened, including mine.

When I took part as a judge on the RHS Persicaria Trial at Wisley during the trial’s pandemic stricken first year in 2020 (before we moved to Yorkshire) two things were apparent. One, there will no doubt be many more exciting cultivars bred and sold in future. Two, very few of them are good enough to actually be sold widely, yet. Too many flopped in wind and rain or were inconsistent in growth, which is disappointing.

My love of Persicaria has gone in five directions over the years: from wild Persicaria, to spring flowered large var…