Gunnera Manicata

I have one of the above in it's first year...coming along nicely and I'm hoping for a fine plant next year.
I've read to mulch well,cut back the leaves and lay them over the crown of the plant until spring.

Should I do this now before the first frosts?

 

I have a few of these I absolutely love them. Yea do it within next few days or put some would chipping over the crowns :-)

 

My biggest is now 3 plants though and still going strong with this warm wet weather they love it

 

My gunnera gets more attention than any other plant.Top dress with Bonemeal 3 times through the growing season and lots of water mine has leaves about 18 inch accross atm but they are so easy to divide, and really tough I'm always slicing bits of for in pots or as gifts :D

 

Jeepers
If you are actually feeding this thing it is going to be bigger than your house
They certainly do not need feeding, and grow to massive proportions
After they settle in they are also as tough as old boots. I split my plant last year and dumped the pieces in the adjoining meadow. They resisted all attempts by last winter to kill them, and I now have a new plant growing out there
Last year my original plant didn't even get covered up for the winter, and was a big as ever this year

 

They are ace they look like dinosaur plants. Next year I suppose I will have to either start cutting bits of it out, or remove other plants to make room for it to spread. In summer always get being stopping and pointing at it :D :D
Don't know why they are so expensive though mine set me back fourty quid!

 

Yea no joke mate :yess:
It was in a fifteen litre container and had one large crown and two smaller ones. Was at the start of the season when I bought it so was not much growth on it but it soon started to spread when I planted it looks really healthy too the seed heads look cool too. Altrincham garden centre for ya, would have been cheaper to go bents

 

I can't give pieces of mine away for FREE

 

WOW!!
Is that your gunnera? How long you had it for? Do you fertalise it?
Very jealous mine would looks like a seedling next to that

 

That thing grows to over 18 feet high every year nowadays, and NO ... I do NOT fertilise it
Some of the leaves are quite massive .....
Here is a pic from across the pond
Now THAT is a Gunnera Manicata

 

Fantastic