castor oil plant:
For no good reason I’ve always had a slightly ingrained prejudice against growing the castor oil plant in our own garden – until earlier this year that is. Strolling along the main street of a small village in Somerset, there in the distance I caught sight of a plant table set up outside someone’s house.
My pace quickened and as I approached I realised that there were some very interesting plants for sale and before too long I had amassed a small collection amongst which was my ricinus. I had often admired this dramatic foliage plant when used in municipal bedding schemes, so here was my chance to give it a go myself.
Ricinus communis is an upright, branching, tender perennial, usually grown as an annual in the UK, it’s fast growing and can easily attain upwards of 1.5 metres in a season (although ultimate height is variable). The glossy palmate leaves are variously green, red and bronze and are held on red stems, but it is the bright red, spiky seed capsules that catch our attention. This is a bold plant which lends a strong architectural presence to a group of summer bedding in pots or other containers, and if it’s planted straight into a bed, acts as an anchor for all its neighbours – one for the exotic garden without shadow of doubt.
A member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) there are also cultivars with differing leaf and flower colour. Please remember that this plant is highly toxic.
This link will take you to further reading!
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