Gunnera Plant
The Amazing, Exotic Giant Gunnera Plant
The gunnera plant is from the family called gunneraceae, of genus gunnera. The specific type described here is gunnera manicata, a native of Brazil and Columbia. This plant is suited to bog like conditions. It is also known as dinosaur food, rhubarb plant or giant gunnera.
Grow the gunnera plant in a moist soil, somewhat sandy, rich in nutrients. It requires a site with part shade to full sun. This awesome plant gets up to 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide, with huge shiny green leaves featuring prominent veins. The stems are attractive also, covered with wiry hairs. The leaves can be as big as 8 feet across.
This plant does well in USDA zone 7 to 10. Its flowers are a bronze colored spear shaped flower, which looks a bit like a corn cob, blooming from the base of the plants from early to late summer. They also have a red berry that springs up during parts of the summer.
This plant should be fed 3 times a year during growing season, starting at the beginning of growth in spring. The gunnera remains green all year in warm climates. In cold zones, it dies back completely but returns reliably every spring.
If your area gets below 30 degrees, the stems should be cut to about a foot high and than cover the ground around plants with a heavy mulch, preferably made of its own leaves, to protect it from frost in the cold season. Take care that it does not burn from high temperatures in summer by watering daily. It does especially well if watered from the top, during the night or early morning. Watering in the heat of a summer day could cause burning.
The gunnera plant is most useful as a conversation piece because of the immense size and showy leaves. It is excellent near a swimming pool or pond, or the back of a flower bed with shorter plants. Because this plant looks tropical and exotic, it goes well with brightly colored large showy flowers. Gaillardia is an excellent choice with its vivid red and yellow prolific flowers. A gaillardia is especially good because it blooms almost year round in zones 8 to 10.
To propagate this plant, use fresh seeds. You will need a two gallon pot, to accommodate massive size. Fill the pot with moisture retaining, rich soil. Then sprinkle a small amount of seeds evenly over the soil. Do not touch the seeds as oils from skin can prevent germination. Tap seeds into soil with a spade.
Cover the top of the container loosely with plastic. Keep misted at all times. The ideal temperature to germinate is around 70 degrees. Do not allow exposure to temperatures below 50 degrees, or direct sun, for the first 2 years. The seeds sprout in thirty to sixty days. Leave in the pot for an entire 2 years, then transplant to a permanent site. Give a diluted liquid fertilizer throughout growing season. Once you place in permanent site it will grow extremely fast, so be sure to allow ample space around the plant. They are known to sprout their own volunteers so if you need a large area filled the gunnera plant is a great choice.