Kiss-Me-Over-the-Garden-Gate ‘Cerise Pearls’

Persicaria orientalis

Features

  • Cut-and-come-again
  • Easy to grow
  • Heat-loving
  • Pollinator-friendly

Description

This old-fashioned treasure grows tall in the cottage garden yet doesn’t require staking. Bushy plants are loaded with long stems of nodding, pink-magenta flowers. Adding movement to both the garden and vase arrangements, this beauty has an ethereal, sparkling quality. Pollinators love it, and the plant will reseed itself, often coming back in the same spot for years.

Details

Plant type: annual
Height: 30 to 55 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 90 to 100 days
Plant spacing: 12 to 18 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Sow seed indoors in trays 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Speed up germination by popping seeds in the refrigerator or freezer for 3 weeks before sowing.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when at least 50 percent of the blossoms on a flower are open. Flowers are wilt prone, so harvest in the coolest part of the day. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Details

Description

This old-fashioned treasure grows tall in the cottage garden yet doesn’t require staking. Bushy plants are loaded with long stems of nodding, pink-magenta flowers. Adding movement to both the garden and vase arrangements, this beauty has an ethereal, sparkling quality. Pollinators love it, and the plant will reseed itself, often coming back in the same spot for years.

Details

Plant type: annual
Height: 30 to 55 in
Site: full sun
Days to maturity: 90 to 100 days
Plant spacing: 12 to 18 in
Pinch: not necessary

Seed Sowing & Growing Notes

Sow seed indoors in trays 6 weeks before last frost; transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Speed up germination by popping seeds in the refrigerator or freezer for 3 weeks before sowing.

Harvesting/Vase Life

Harvest when at least 50 percent of the blossoms on a flower are open. Flowers are wilt prone, so harvest in the coolest part of the day. Expect a vase life of 5 to 7 days.

Sources

How to Grow

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