Does anyone grow this, I have admired it at Dixter and fancy it for my tropical border, but not sure it will cope in my cold garden.
I grow it and find it dies right back to the ground each winter but grows up to 8 or 9ft by the end of summer. Mine flowers very late, mostly Sept. The flowers are at the ends of the shoots so almost out of sight. An unusual looking plant. I've never had any hardiness problems in all the years I've had it, maybe a mulch for the first couple of years.
@pete gave me a piece of his about 5 years ago. It established very quickly. I like it's exotic look but it is slow to get going and flower as it dies right down overwinter as pete says. Find a sunny spot and mulch overwinter and it should be OK even in Derbyshire
I've grown this for some years now, like Pete's mine flowers in autumn, but the foliage is interesting; gets cut down to the ground by a decent frost, some years if I don't cut it right down the foot or so I've left, resprouts in the spring. I find it prone to wind damage although this can bring the flowers down to an easy viewing height. I got mine from Pan Global in late 2018, they said it is bone hardy with them coming through December 2010 unscathed. Pan Global are in a frost pocket near the Severn. They no longer seem to list it though. I grow it in the same area as Acanthus sennii a native of East Africa and they seem to be of the same hardiness. Note this Acanthus is one of the most vicious plants I grow.
Hi @Punkdoc it grew well for me in rural Nottinghamshire in an open garden but needed a good year to flower well
