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Key characteristics

Family: Polygonaceae
Height: 1 to 3 feet tall
Width: 1 to 3 feet wide
Flower color: Pink or white
Foliage color: Red, green, and cream variegation
Bloom time: Late spring to early summer
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium; tolerates moist to wet soil
Maintenance: Moderate; prune to control spread and maintain shape
Growing zone: USDA zones 4 to 9
Wildlife: Attracts bees and butterflies; deer resistant

Perennials

Persicaria microcephala ‘Red Dragon’

Red Dragon Fleece Flower

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon', also known as red dragon fleeceflower, is a striking perennial native to China and Myanmar, known for its vibrant red and burgundy leaves with striking pink or silver markings. Forming clumps of upright stems with glossy, lance-shaped leaves, it adds significant ornamental value to gardens. In summer, it produces small, pinkish-white flowers in dense, slender spikes at the tips of the stems, adding a delicate and airy quality.

Light

Full sun to part shade

Water

Medium; tolerates moist to wet soil

Bloom time

Late spring to early summer

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Cottage Gardens
Pollinator Gardens
Rain Gardens
Cut Flower Gardens

Companion plants

Heucheras · Lady's mantle · Hellebores · Hardy geraniums · Hostas · Ferns

Design tip

Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. It takes sun or light shade, which makes it useful along the changing light of a bed edge or a partly shaded border.