The invasiveness of Gunnera

Every exotic or larger scale water gardener loves the massive leaves and structure of the Brazilian perennial sold as Gunnera manicata.  Hardly surprising, as a clump by the waterside, or in a wet area of a garden, adds a true tropical touch to any planting.

Now it appears we've all been getting it wrong.  According to recent research by the Royal Horticultural Society what's been widely sold as G.manicata is in fact a hybrid between G.manicata and the invasive G.tinctoria, banned fom sale or cultivation in the UK since 2017.  This hybrid, G. x cryptica, has now been found to be equally invasive and will now also be banned from sale and new cultivation.

The research that led to the desicion can be found here, in the journal Sibbaldia.

What this means for gardeners is yet to be seen.  After all, clumps of Gunnera are everywhere.  Will we now be forever denied the sight of sunlight spearing through the massive leaves?

Will some of the great Cornish gardens lose their jungle plantings of the aptly named giant rhubarb? Or will gardeners be allowed to control any invasion risk by removing the massive flower heads before they set and then shed seed to float downstream?

Time will tell, but, if we lose this plant our gardens will be the poorer for it.

It doesn't affect me personally - I simply don't have the room for another plant this size.  But it does affect The Garden House, with a large clump by the arboretum lake, a lake that is fed by and returns into a local Dartmoor stream that eventually feeds the Tamar.  Will we have to remove it?  I don't know - but I'll find out.  I'd miss this view:

 A favourite view at The Garden House

I've been a volunteer at The Garden House since 2016 and have generated thousands of images in that time.  But there are always a few that stand out in the memory as capturing some of the essence and ethos of this remarkable garden.

This is one:

Taken from a vantage point on the south side of the garden it looks over the bank of the quarry garden and across the cottage garden to the taller growth beyond.  Standing sentinal at the edge of cottage garden is a fine example of a triple trunked Betula pendula 'Tristis', a columnar weeping birch just coming into autumn colour. The planting is soft and flowing, a blending of numerous species and varieties of plants, combined to form a tapestry of interest during this late September period. The softer autumn light certainly helps to make the photo stand out but the garden is the star.  I can take the same shot at different times of the year and with each one revealing a different pattern of colour and interest.  To me, that is the mark of a great garden.

Winter's bark

Currently recovering from the effects of whichever bug laid both me and Maria down over the last few weeks a walk round the rather hilly ten acre site of The Garden House made me realise three things.

Firstly, at 73, I don't recover as quickly as I used to.  A mere couple of hours walk was exhausting.  Secondly, even the best of gardens can be bleak in December.  Pregnant with possibility, and an enjoyable walk, but stll bleak.  Thirdly, never underestimate the attraction of colourful bark to provide some winter cheer.

Birches offered a good number of variations, starting with the red-brown peeling bark of Betula utilis subsp. albosinensis 'China Rose'...

...through the subtler red of Betula utilis 'Buckland'....

...to the white of B. 'Festowii'

Maples, Acer species and varieties can also offer excellent bark interest.  Snakebark maples such as Acer davidii 'Ernest Wilson'..,

...or Acer tegmentosum 'White Tigress'....

...provide interesting variations on the same theme, while the brown peeling bark of Acer griseum offers contrasting variety.

Mahogany barked Prunus serrula shone brightly when the sun came out, inviting hands to polish the lustrous bark.

These are all relatively small trees, well suited to add interest to restricted spaces in small gardens.  But if even these are too large it's worth considering one of the shrubby, bright barked cornus varieties such as Cornus alba 'Sibirica'....

...or, for complete contrast, the ghost bramble, Rubus thibetanus.  

Cut back hard after the winter's display, their colourful stems brighten any garden scene.