---

---

One of our all-time favorite plants for good reasons, Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon', commonly known as Fleeceflower or Knotweed, is an eye-catching, long-lived, and easy-to-grow flowering herbaceous perennial plant that has thrived in our gardens here in north-central Georgia since we planted it back in 1995. It has survived droughts, excessive periods of rain, extreme heat, harsh winters, pretty much everything our sometimes extreme Georgia weather has thrown at it. It forms a neat, well-behaved clump to 30 inches tall and about 3 feet wide, clothed in unique, multicolored leaves that change colors as the season progresses. The elongated heart-shaped leaves emerge burgundy with a blue-gray chevron at the center in spring, turning more of a silver-purple during summer and finally to green shades with purple, burgundy, and silver-gray accents. In midsummer, delightful sprays of small white flowers form at the ends of the stems, contrasting beautifully with the foliage color and attracting butterflies. Red Dragon is a fantastic textural and colorful addition as an accent in sunny to partially shaded small garden spaces and containers, or groupings, and even mass plantings where space allows. For gardens in USDA Zones 5a-9b, and possibly zone 4, from what we hear, Red Dragon Persicaria is sure to be a captivating conversation piece in the garden!

Growing in a clump up to 30 inches tall and about 3 feet wide, Red Dragon Fleeceflower is ideal as an accent in sunny to partially shaded small garden beds, or in groupings or mass plantings in larger spaces and woodland borders. It is also a great solo in containers or combined with other perennials in container gardens. It is a fine addition to woodland gardens, rock gardens, purple theme gardens, cottage gardens, cut flower gardens, butterfly gardens, and perennial gardens.