- Botanical name: Gunnera manicata
- Common name: Giant rhubarb
- Family: Gunneraceae
- Plant Type: Bog, Marginal, Perennial, Pond, Deciduous
- Key features:
- Dramatic foliage
- Prefers rich soil
Gunnera manicata is one of the biggest and most spectacular architectural, herbaceous plants, commonly known as ‘giant rhubarb‘. It needs a lot of space and looks best grown as a specimen plant in a bog garden or at the pond edge, where the reflections from the water reveal the prickly undersides of its leaves. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit.
Grow Gunnera manicata in moist, humus-rich soil in a sheltered spot in full sun to partial shade. Its fat growth buds clustered in the crown are prone to frost damage, so pile the dead leaves and stems into a mound over the plants in autumn for winter protection – they make quite a feature of their own.
Read our guide to growing gunnera.
How to grow Gunnera manicata
-
Plant size
2.5m height
4.5m spread
-
Aspect
South facing, west facing
- Sun exposure: Dappled shade, full sun, partial shade
- Hardiness: Frost hardy
- Soil type: Boggy / clay / heavy / moist
Plant calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow | ||||||||||||
| Sow |
J
Do not Sow in January |
F
Do not Sow in February |
M
Do not Sow in March |
A
Do not Sow in April |
M
Do not Sow in May |
J
Do not Sow in June |
J
Do not Sow in July |
A
Do not Sow in August |
S
Do not Sow in September |
O
Do Sow in October |
N
Do Sow in November |
D
Do not Sow in December |
| Plant | ||||||||||||
| Plant |
J
Do not Plant in January |
F
Do not Plant in February |
M
Do not Plant in March |
A
Do not Plant in April |
M
Do Plant in May |
J
Do Plant in June |
J
Do not Plant in July |
A
Do not Plant in August |
S
Do not Plant in September |
O
Do not Plant in October |
N
Do not Plant in November |
D
Do not Plant in December |
| Flowers | ||||||||||||
| Flowers |
J
Plant does not flower in January |
F
Plant does not flower in February |
M
Plant does not flower in March |
A
Plant does not flower in April |
M
Plant does not flower in May |
J
Plant does flower in June |
J
Plant does flower in July |
A
Plant does flower in August |
S
Plant does not flower in September |
O
Plant does not flower in October |
N
Plant does not flower in November |
D
Plant does not flower in December |
| Take cuttings | ||||||||||||
| Take cuttings |
J
Do not Take cuttings in January |
F
Do not Take cuttings in February |
M
Do Take cuttings in March |
A
Do Take cuttings in April |
M
Do Take cuttings in May |
J
Do not Take cuttings in June |
J
Do not Take cuttings in July |
A
Do not Take cuttings in August |
S
Do not Take cuttings in September |
O
Do not Take cuttings in October |
N
Do not Take cuttings in November |
D
Do not Take cuttings in December |
| Collect seeds | ||||||||||||
| Collect seeds |
J
Do not Collect seeds in January |
F
Do not Collect seeds in February |
M
Do not Collect seeds in March |
A
Do not Collect seeds in April |
M
Do not Collect seeds in May |
J
Do not Collect seeds in June |
J
Do not Collect seeds in July |
A
Do not Collect seeds in August |
S
Do not Collect seeds in September |
O
Do Collect seeds in October |
N
Do Collect seeds in November |
D
Do not Collect seeds in December |
Gunnera manicata and wildlife
Gunnera manicata has no particular known value to wildlife in the UK.
Is Gunnera manicata poisonous?
Gunnera manicata has no toxic effects reported.
No reported toxicity to Birds
No reported toxicity to Cats
No reported toxicity to Dogs
No reported toxicity to Horses
No reported toxicity to Livestock
No reported toxicity to People
Plants that go well with Gunnera manicata
