Castor Oil Plants Hanging in There....

I've had some Castor Oil plants in large pots all summer and autumn, 3 varieties and they have done really well, growing to 6ft+ and flowering well too.

We're now well into December and we've had a couple of light frosts and some very cold weather in general of late and yet these plants are still looking ok and producing new growth from the stems at several points. I know they are very easy to grow from seed and normally not worth trying to overwinter but I am so tempted just for a bit of fun/interest to see how they would grow on next year as I believe in their native habitat they grow in to large trees/shrubs???

Thoughts anyone???

 

I love the red ricinus communis and was going to plant one in a garden that I landscaped in a tropical theme ....



then, I read this site:

Ricinus communis, castor oil plant - THE POISON GARDEN website

and ended up planting a t-rex and a fatsia instead .... the people living at the home do not have children (yet), but did not want to risk it

 

I have no knowledge, but now I can keep an eye on developments come the spring.

 

Hi Dim, good point about these plants especially if curious children are likely to come in contact with them, otherwise with a little care they should be fine :thumb:

 

will plant them in my own garden, however not worth risking getting a bad name if planted as part of a landscape project in someone else's garden and their children get sick by eating parts

lovely plants though and always look good in a tropical / exotic theme bed

 

Never tried overwintering in pots Bilbo, but have tried with a heavy mulch.

It didn't work.

I think it was the wet that got them.

So, maybe if you dry them off a bit and keep them frost free you stand a good chance.

 

from what I understand, in zone 8, they are treated as an annual and are very easy to grow from seed (and grow very fast .... more than 2 meters in a season if conditions are right)

many just buy a fairly large one off the internet in spring for under a tenner

 

Thats what Bilbo said *dim*.
We know they grow fast and are easy from seed.

But we like to push the boundries sometimes:WINK1:

 

Doh! .... sorry, misread the thread .... from what I also understand, is that it dies from frost and not cold

here is a pic of the green one that has leaves as large as 40 inches (the green leaved ones have much bigger leaves than the reddish ones) ....

from what I understand, this pic shows one season's growth

 

*dim*, surely you came across these in S Africa.

A short lived perrenial, I believe, were frost is light.

But not easy to keep from year to year in the UK.

Zanzibarensis springs to mind as a good large one with bronze leaves.

 

According to this link they can reach 39ft in optimum conditions ; described as a perennial suckering shrub/small tree;

Castor oil plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Said you'd need a bigger house Bilbo.:D

Some interesting stuff about Ricin there Dim

 

To be honest, I cannot recall seeing them in South Africa (and I lived on the East Coast which has a tropical climate) ... and if they did grow freely there, I am sure I would have noticed them as they have huge leaves

but then again, I was more into sea fishing than gardening

 

I was stopped from growing Ricinus for the Parks three years ago due to it's toxicity after growing them for 25 years and my predecessor before me. They seeds have always been highly poisonous, not just in the last three years.
It's a shame as they are a stunning plant in the right setting.

 

Well you can grow what you like next summer strongy.