Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate

I have a friend who lives about 6 blocks away. We like to visit each others' gardens and sometimes trade plants. She has a double lot, though, and a lot of her plants are spreaders that I don't have room for. She has a reseeding annual I had been admiring, and this spring, she gave me some seedlings. She said they are called kiss me over the garden gate. I looked them up, and read they are heirloom flowers, Polygonum orientale. One of the sites said they were first grown in the states by Thomas Jefferson. They like sun to part sun, and average water, according to what I read. They are good for cutting or drying.

I put 2 together in my front yard bed. They were so small, I wanted to make sure to get one. One of them ended up not doing well, so I took it out. I also planted one across the street. The one at home is a bit wimpy so far, compared to the web images, and the one across the street. I don't know if it's because it had to compete with another for awhile, or what. I haven't had to stake either one so far, but think maybe I should. These photos were taken the 6th of August. This was up to my chin, and I'm 5'7".

Here is a closer look at the flowers.

And now, across the street, this one is about the height of the tip of my hand when I put my arm straight up. It's quite a bit wider, as well. To its left is a Mexican sunflower I transplanted from the main bed when I thinned it. (I still haven't ventured into the tree house.)

It was hard to get a clear photo, because the blooms sway a lot in the breeze.

I hope I have lots of seedlings in the spring. I love this plant and its blooms! If you have experience with it, please tell us about it.

(I want to add that the soil where the shorter one is was amended with compost last year. I just stuck the other one near a tree and did not add anything to the soil. They both get afternoon shade. I think the taller one has gotten less water, too. Oh, I am remembering that the plant across the street was a bit larger than the 2 I planted together at home. I wonder if that's the difference.)