This handsome hardy perennial catches your eye at this time of year when other plants can look a bit tired.

Long, slender spikes of tiny crimson-red flowers rise above semi-evergreen, bold, lance-shaped leaves. It needs room and grows fast – a strong plant for filling large spaces and good ground cover. Height and spread approximately 1.2m.

Persicaria prefer moist soil, so perform best in a bog garden or beside a pond. However, I use it in all sorts of locations and it finds it way in between shrubs in borders where the soil is usually drier.

My September plant of the month, but this one has been flowering since July and still looks fresh. A plant that earns its keep and bees and other insects love it too!