(Polygonum orientale) Hard-to-find heirloom. Volunteers every year at Heritage Farm. Slender branching 6–9’ eye-catching plants heavily laden with pendulous dark pink catkins. Makes handsome dried bouquets, but nice as cut flower too. Exotic and beautiful when the plants are swaying in the summer breeze. Self-seeding annual, hard to transplant, sow in place. CERTIFIED ORGANIC
Planting instructions: Sow seed in the spring in a sunny, moist well-drained area. Plant 1/4" deep, thin to 1" apart after germination. Seeds are very hard and may take up to 4 weeks to germinate, so keep moist. Planting seeds in the fall can also work well. Prefers full sun to partial shade and a rich, well-drained soil. Reseeds year after year.