It didn’t take me long after discovering an interest in gardening to grow a keen interest for giant plants and Gunnera manicata is what started it all. It’s not often a choice for the home gardener, but around Vancouver where I live the city parks department has planted giant rhubarb plants at several parks around the city. This one is situated right by the duck pond on Granville Island.
Gunnera manicata, or giant rhubarb, is an ornamental plant in the Gunneraceae family. The underside of the leaf and the whole stalk have spikes on them. The leaves of Gunnera grow to an impressive size. Leaves with diameters well in excess of four feet are commonplace. This plant grows best in damp conditions eg by the side of garden ponds.
jenny n persian shield, originally uploaded by la fattina.
Flowers are nice but but I really love it when gardeners get creative with foliage. This foliage combination of creeping Jenny with Persian shield uses sharply contrasting colour and shape to really pop out and make a statement.
Garden Lantern, originally uploaded by Gigapic.
This garden photo really shows the kind of tranquil setting that I would love to have in my backyard one day. I can hear the sound of the water trickling down through the rocks as it weaves through the colourful folliage in this lush Japanese garden. This picture makes it clear to me how moss growing on the stone lantern is a key element when it comes to designing a Japanese garden. These are the kind of small details that need not to be overlooked!
