Fascination Bistort

Fascination Bistort (Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Fascination') is a clumping perennial that grows about 1.2m tall and 70cm to 1m wide, throwing up slender stems of pink flowers from summer until the first frosts. The slim arrowhead leaves and airy flower spikes give it a naturalistic, grassy look that sits comfortably in cottage and prairie style plantings. Once established it asks little, beyond moisture and a yearly cut back.

Why you'll love it

• Months of flower. Slender pink spikes open in summer and keep coming until the first frosts.
• An airy, naturalistic shape. Fine stems and arrowhead leaves blend with grasses and soften heavier plants beside it.
• Good for pollinators. The flowers feed bees and butterflies, which makes it a useful choice for a wildlife garden.
• Frost hardy, with autumn colour. It copes with cold winters and returns each year, adding warm tones to a cottage border in autumn.
• Flexible about soil and light. Full sun or part shade, and most soils including heavy clay, as long as there is enough moisture.

Where it works best

Cottage and prairie style borders. Plant 70cm apart in drifts of three or five. At that spacing the clumps meet within a couple of seasons and form a flowing, grassy mass.

Wildlife and pollinator gardens. Weave it among grasses and other perennials so the pink spikes float above the foliage and draw bees and butterflies through summer.

Moist, heavy ground. Clay that holds moisture suits it better than most perennials. Keep the ground from baking dry in summer and it will repay you with flower.

Growing Fascination Bistort in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun or part shade. It is frost hardy and happiest in temperate and cooler gardens, where summer moisture comes easily. In hot subtropical gardens, give it part shade and steady water, because it sulks if baked dry.

Soil. Most soils work, even heavy clay, provided there is enough moisture. It does best in rich, moist loam, so dig well composted manure through the bed before planting.

Water and feed. Mulch after planting and water regularly for the first 12 weeks while it establishes. After that, keep the ground from drying out in summer. A handful of slow release fertiliser in spring supports the flowering.

Pruning. Cut the whole plant to ground level once a year, in winter or early spring, for fresh regrowth and a longer flowering season. In cold gardens it dies back on its own, so the cut is simply a tidy.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Fascination Bistort as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly, and in 200mm pots in packs of 6. A tube plant spends its first season building a clump, while the larger pots give a fuller start. Plant it out once it arrives, mulch around it and keep it watered through the first summer.

The tube comes from our grower, so it is not always in stock. A sold out tube simply means none is available today, and the notify button on the page emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Perennial plants for a cottage garden
• More bee and butterfly friendly plants
• Browse frost hardy plants
• Pruning for beginners

Common questions

Will it spread through the garden?

Fascination grows as a clump rather than running underground, so it stays where you plant it and widens slowly to around a metre.

When should I cut it back?

Cut it to ground level once a year in winter or early spring. The fresh regrowth flowers well and the cut extends the flowering season.

Does it need a lot of water?

It wants steady moisture, especially in its first 12 weeks and through hot summers. Mulch helps, and heavy clay that holds water suits it well.