Description
Polygonum orientale/ Persicaria orientale | Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate
Kiss-Me-Over-The-Garden-Gate, also known as Lady’s Fingers, Prince’s Feather, Princess Feather, Ragged Sailor, Garden Persicary, Tall Persicary, and Oriental Persicary is originally native to southwestern Asia. It has a long history in American gardens and President Thomas Jefferson was one of the first people to ever grow it in 1776, along with many other imported plants in his famous gardens.
This graceful cottage annual adds a touch of sophistication to the back of the border with its 6-8 ft tall arching stems that produce beautiful dangling bright rose-magenta beads-on-a-string-flowers that sway in the breeze from mid-summer into autumn. The handsome, large, heart-shaped, light-green leaves make this plant even more garden-worthy. Tall plant lovers will be glad to know this heirloom will never require staking. Plant in rich soil for the best performance. Easy, hardy, adaptable, and self-sows.
The flowers are unique and are great for adding mass and height to flower arrangements, and crafters will find that the blooms dry well, too.
Seeds must go through a few weeks of cold-stratification before they will germinate.
Type: Annual
Sun exposure: Full sun to part shade
Mature height: 5-8 ft
Mature width: 3-5 ft
Hardiness zones: All zones