Day 333: putting the gunnera to bed

Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year

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Nobody forgets their first meeting with a gunnera (Gunnera manicata) in all its glory. Some plants are just memorable. The very big or the diminutively delicate have a distinct advantage – everything in between has to work a little harder. We met ours at the bottom of a sub-tropical valley in the gardens at Trebah on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula – I can still recall emerging with sheepish grins from beneath the towering umbrellas of the giant rhubarb (in reality, no relative), huge, leathery leaf blades supported on spiny stems in places as thick as your leg. You don’t actually need a bog garden to grow it, and even a large pot will do, providing you don’t let it dry out. Preferring moist conditions but not a huge fan of soggy, cold soils over winter, this year’s leaves cut at the base and tied over make ideal insulation for the crown.


A year of garden coaching

I’m very excited about my new venture – it’s a way for me to work with more people than I can physically get around to, helping them to make the very best of their gardens in a way that suits the life they lead. If you’d like to find out more, please click here to book for a January 2020 start.


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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, blogger, podcaster, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking the image above.

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