Persicaria as garden mulch

NwMtGardener

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So...i had this brilliant idea a few weeks ago to use my lawnmower to chop up my yard waste this fall to put on the garden as mulch over the winter. In the past i just piled it up in a corner of my yard, but thats kind of a pain because i have a small lot in town, and the piles of decaying crap were just growing and growing.

My concern is that i may have put seeds directly into my garden. Yipes. I didnt think about it at the time but now...i'm wondering if i made a big mistake. The stuff i chopped up was iris stems (no big deal) and persicaria Fleeceflower, here's a link to a pic:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/100380/#b

So, my persicaria seems to reproduce by rhizome (corm maybe?), it spreads out more and more from right around the main plant like an iris, and eventually gets to where it needs divided. Has anyone grown this from seed or noticed that a plant they have seems to have seedlings starting around it? I've never noticed my plant doing this, but i mow all around it. Hrmmmm, maybe only time will tell whether i have just introduced a huge amount of weeds to my garden!!!
 

baymule

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Just put some more stuff in the garden and compost it in place.............go clean out the barn, chicken coop, rake leaves.... :mow
 

NwMtGardener

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That's a good thought baymule. I think i would have to get something HOT, like fresh manure, to get it to compost through our cold winter here, but that might help, and certainly couldnt hurt!
 

thistlebloom

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I suspect you'll be fine Heather. Let us know though, and if the seeds germinate I want some! Those are good looking plants!

I have Persicaria virginiana "Painters Palette" which I love, but it has a totally different form than the fleece flower Persicaria. And it doesn't spread.
The mower idea is a good one, you should see a difference in your soil next year, and I know what you mean about accumulation, I have 4 HUGE piles of debris, but fortunately I have some woods to hide it in. :)
 

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