Well not quite a explosion, but I sure had a gigantic castor bean this past summer. Within one week it grew over 2 feet and the spread was almost the same. Take a look...
I had a extra plant and did not know where to put it, so I put it at the front of the house beside the door. Never expecting it to get this large, we had to pull it out. It was too dangerous for the kids to be around being that large. Well maybe I should emphasize that it had to be dug out. Boy do these roots go down deep and get large.
It was not the height that astonished me it was the width of the leaves. It measured in height just over 7 feet. However, I found that this past year was the year of stalky plants and less height. Previous castor beans I've had reached a whopping 11 feet plus.
This gigantic leave measured 28 inches in width. Its't is just a beauty.
Lets hope 2010 brings another year of gigantic castor beans. I know 2009 is going in the books as a record for me.
HAPPY NEW YEARS my friends!
Wow! That castor bean plant looks like something in a jungle, not Ontario, Canada! What a lovely blog you have. Your last post said it all - a little piece of Heaven. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your garden in 2010. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Cheryl! Your plant is gorgeous! I always wanted a castor bean plant for my garden, but every time I was ready to buy it, they scared me with its poisonness. I love your plant, but I don't think I have a space for such a giant. It should love the soil in your garden and probably, a protection from winds that the house wall provides.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing this beauty and a Healthy and Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year! I like that plant...the foliage is great. Your header photo is pretty with all the snow. We used to live in Colorado where we got plenty of snow. Now, we are in Austin, TX and miss seeing it :)
ReplyDeleteWow! What an amazing Castor Bean Plant. Do they take alot of water or need alot of shade? Those big leaves would probably make a great impression on cement stepping stones. I saw some made out of huge rhubarb leaves. Gloria
ReplyDeleteEither its gigantic gene surfacing after millions of years of being dormant or being overly fed. But it is always nice to see plants growing.....
ReplyDelete~bangchik
I love the looks of the Castor Bean plants. Yours was so big. The leaves were even huge. My neighbor use to always grow a couple in his garden but when the kids were small I was afraid to let them go near the plants. I could grow them now but I do not have the room. I will enjoy yours ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love castor bean plants but they don't do well here because of a lack of heat/sun. Plus they're so toxic, and I worry that one of the two elderly cats that we do let outdoors daily might take an accidental nosh on one with tragic results. I saw these plants beautifully grown in Kansas City in 2008 and they were fabulous.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, and here's to a great year of garden blogging.
I soaked my seeds for 24 hours, as the package
ReplyDeletedirected & planted each seed in 4 inch pots to get them started in my greenhouse. None of them germinated.