Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Taurus'
USPP #9682,COPF
"Fleece Flower"

	Click thumbnail image to view larger, collectible image
	In order to view the Designer Gardens PDF for this variety, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed. If you do not, you may get it for free at:

BENEFITS
Fuller, richer flowers and long bloom period. Tough, carefree, long-lived plants.

BLOOM SEASON & HABIT
Scarlet flowers from early summer to midfall. Oblong, shiny leaves on bushy, spreading plants.

LOCATION
Full sun to partial shade. USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9; AHS Heat Zones 8 to 1. See our Growing Zones page to reference growing zones in your area.

USE
Long bloom period. Nice border plant. Good along ponds, streams, and pools. Good cut flower.

SIZE
30" tall by 48" wide. Use 3 plants per square yard.

CULTURE
Prefers moist, well-drained soils. Provide shade and extra moisture for better performance in warmer zones. Shear in fall if desired to remove spent flowers. Divide in spring as needed. Also see our General Planting Tips for more information.

Family and Friends
History and Companion Plants
Fleece Flower belongs to what is commonly known as the Smartweed Family which has some unsavory cousins such as the lawn and garden weeds, Knotweed and Lady's Thumb. Recently, the genus of this plant has changed to Persicaria from the original Polygonum. Perhaps there is an attempt to distance the fine ornamental plants of this family from their less popular relatives.

Plants in this family grow from creeping stems which can rapidly fill in display areas. Erect flower spikes cover mounds of oblong, shiny foliage. The flowers appear to have been formed by a magnetic attraction of fleece to the tips of upright stalks. Displays of Fleece Flower are complemented nicely by a backdrop of taller Ornamental Grasses or a border of Hardy Ferns.