Persicaria amplexicaulis JS Delgado Macho - Mountain Fleece

Persicaria amplexicaulis 'JS Delgado Macho' is a unique variety of Persicaria, selected in Belgium for its more compact habit compared to other cultivars and its dazzling flowering. This dense groundcover produces short and thick flower spikes from summer to autumn.  These are as bulky as the plant itself, and are a beautiful intense carmine red colour. Give it space, a slope, a ditch, or the banks around water, as well as robust companions that it won't suffocate.

Persicaria or Polygonum amplexicaule 'JS Delgado Macho' is a plant from the family of Polygonaceae. It is a recent horticultural selection, credited to the Flemish nurseryman Jan Spruyt. It originates from a species native to the Himalayas. This rhizomatous and semi-evergreen perennial forms a clump that will not exceed 50 cm in height when in bloom, 35 cm (14in) for the foliage. It spreads rather quickly, depending on soil fertility, and can form imposing clumps after several years. Particularly floriferous and colourful, this Persicaria produces numerous compact spikes, 10 cm (4in) long, at the axils of the leaves located at the ends of reddish stems. The spikes are composed of a multitude of small red flower buds that become carmine pink when they open, with a throat adorned with slightly protruding stamens. The flowering is continuous from July to October, as long as the soil does not dry out too much. The leaves, borne on sturdy stems, are wide and lanceolate, measuring 15 cm (6in) long. They are vivid green, villous on the underside, and turn violet in autumn.

Like masterworts, Persicaria are very popular plants, thanks to their good adaptation to cold and wet climates and their clean appearance that suits contemporary gardens as well as naturalistic and romantic flowerbeds. They form magnificent autumn scene with grasses like Miscanthus and Panicum. Thanks to its low and spreading habit, Polygonum 'JS Delgado Macho' can be used as a groundcover, as long as it is given enough space. Persicaria enjoys full sun but also partial shade. It prefers rich and heavy, even very wet soils and can be grown independently on sunny pond banks, along a sunken path, or in a cool and partially shaded woodland at the base of trees. Asters, Japanese anemones, and Inula are good companions for Persicaria, both in the garden and in bouquets, as they also flower until autumn. Dead nettles and bergenia, equally robust, allow for extending the flowering periods and provide contrasting forms and foliage.