GUNNERA PERPENSA

Description

Rare and quite unique, this deciduous, dwarf, very hardy plant has large tuberous roots and most attractive, beautiful, fluted, relatively small to medium round leaves on long stems. It makes an ideal foliage plant for damp, sunny places in a large garden or park. The attractive flower spikes are a pinkish reddish brown colour, resembling stretched out strawberries! It also thrives in wet places, especially where there is fresh flowing water such as at the edges of streams. A neat and desirable plant, it has been around for the last 95 million years, and belongs to one of the oldest angiosperm families which contained the largest herbs on earth.

Sowing Advice

For best results, sow immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. We sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination, as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, often waiting for natural spring germination, hence giving them a full season of growth.

Key Facts