Friday, July 25, 2014

Ricinus communis, it’s highly toxic and my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

I adore the Castor Bean plant, and not because of it's toxicity. Although it’s certainly fun to mention that fact to the timid and watch them recoil in horror as though merely touching the leaves will cause instant death. As often seems to be the case with that which I adore, success with this plant has proven to be elusive. Hoping for a mammoth sized plant (like Heather’s) I’ve bought starter plants, started seeds myself and begged seedlings off a friend who is much more seed savvy than I.

Another blogger (I’m looking at you Mulchmaid) has already posted photos on Facebook of her begged gifted seedlings from that same friend blooming and looking huge. Here are mine…

Yes there are 3, and yes they average about 10” tall. I am a failure.

Knowing my history with this plant I hedged my bets and bought a pair of "last year's plants" (meaning he didn't sell them in 2013 and they were a bit larger and still available in 2014) at the Rare Plant Research open house last May. They were bigger than any seedling I've purchased in the past. Sure success right? Well this is the one in the front garden, it's nice but only a little over 2ft tall...

The one in the back garden though, it's my favorite and best ever Castor Bean...

Going strong and may eventually reach that monster size I've been hoping for...

So to refresh your memory that's 1 out of 5 that I'm feeling good about, not exactly winning odds in Vegas right?

The stats:
  • bought simply as Ricinus communis, fancy varieties with great leaf color are available, look for them when buying seeds
  • should eventually reach 5-15ft tall and 3-8ft wide (of course I'm hoping for the larger end of that spectrum)
  • winter hardy in USDA Zones 9-11 where plants will thrive in rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil with full sun exposure - grown as annuals elsewhere (below Zone 9) and typically self seeding for future poison plant happiness (please please please let this happen in my garden!)
  • plants can become somewhat weedy and spread aggressively in frost-free areas, as seen by anyone traveling on the highways near Fillmore, California.
  • in the Euphorbiaceae family and native in Northeastern Africa to Middle East 

So that's what's got me smiling this week, what's doing it for you?

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

40 comments:

  1. I love the fact that you've added poisonous plants to your garden. It just ups the overall lethality. But maybe it's staying small to protect itself from its spikey neighbors. Perhaps a large sword, pet dragons, and a few episodes of Game of Thrones would motivate it to grow larger and help it aim for total garden domination. Or maybe it just wants to snuggle. I thought I spotted a bit of canoodling in the 5th pic. ;o)

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    1. There are so many good poisonous plants, but yes this one has such a reputation that it's extra fun and I do love a little canoodling in my garden...

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  2. I love these plants too, I have a little forest of them in my front garden. Strangely, although they're all in about a 20 square foot area where they have the same conditions and have all been watered equally, some have gotten quite a bit bigger than others. They were all from that same seedling batch. It might be genetics, not you. I'm going to dig the biggest in the fall and try overwintering them in the greenhouse. Yours looks good next to the Canna.

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    1. Yes I agree, the others have been kind to point out all of their growing tips but mine have all gotten the same heat and water (been generous this year, lots of newly planted things and wanted everything to look good for the Fling) and there has to be some other "reason" for some to grow bigger...

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  3. I've picked up packets of castor bean seeds several times, only to put them back, intimidated by the plant's poisonous reputation. I can never get over how pretty it is, though, which means I'll succumb one of these days. My contribution this week is much tamer: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-favorite-plant-this-week-coreopsis.html

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    1. Give in to temptation, come over to the dark side...

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  4. Danger, I am a Ricinus communis failure based on the seedling from the last plant swap given to me. But you give me hope! Mine is still only about 20" tall, but here's hoping for that monster size by the end of summer. Yours is definitely a success.

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    1. Interesting, your seedling came from Alison too then I'm guessing...20" is still taller than mine from her...

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  5. I'm surprised they don't fare better, given all the sun you have...but they are heavy feeders and want a fair amount of organic matter, which, I'm guessing, you don't necessarily want for the other plants around them (which would usually prefer leaner soil). Also, you can hardly give them enough water...which, again, isn't what the other plants would want. At least you have the one in back for the others to aspire to :-)

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    1. The sun and that reflected heat from the gravel! I have been generous with the water on all of them, but only the one that has achieved size has gotten any compost, so perhaps that is making the difference...

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  6. Love them! I had one get 10-12 feet tall in my garden last year. They definitely do better with regular watering. The ones I've planted in less watered areas of my garden usually languish. One year I did get seedlings but in a garden where they had been planted two years before, not the prior year. Due to the potential toxicity, I only plant them outside of the fenced part of the garden where Nick doesn't roam.

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    1. 10-12 ft!!! That sounds like success, and ya, I figured water was important and I've been pretty generous with it. Also I'm lucky that Lila shows no interest in eating anything in the garden...

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  7. Yes, what Sue said, Water, water, water. And heat. I grew them in Kentucky in rich soil during a wetter than average summer and they were over my head.

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    1. So I'm thinking we've had the heat, would you agree? I mean upper 80's and mid 90's is hot, and not just PNW hot?

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  8. I love Ricinus! 'Impala' is my favorite for its subtly colored dark leaves. Have you tried 'Zanzibarensis'? Plain green but very large-growing with ENORMOUS leaves.

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    1. I think I did get 'Zanzibarensis' seeds once, I think that was the year we had a record cold spring and summer not hitting 90 until August...

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  9. BTW a couple of tips: first, they love heat and sun. And while they may be drought-tolerant, they appreciate a fair amount of water, especially when they're young and still getting established. They produce a very deep tap root, and don't like root disturbance. I find that starting them in pots usually means stunted plants, and starting them indoors means weak and etiolated seedlings as well. When I've sown seeds directly, the plants start out smaller but within a few weeks catch up with and then overtake any that were transplanted from pots.

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    1. I second this: they prefer being grown in situ from seed!

      Also, don't people realize that they're probably growing other poisonous plants already? They just don't have the exposure that Castor Bean does. Fabulous plant, don't be afraid unless you have small children that can't be supervised or taught, or livestock or other animals that eat crazy stuff from time to time.

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    2. Okay when I've done the seed thing I started them indoors (and obviously transplanted the ones I got from my friend). Next year I will plant some in the ground (and thus curse us to a cool summer)...

      As for the other poisonous plants people get so freaked out, it amazes me. I heard a story from another blogger of someone actually marching up to her front door and cursing her out for growing Euphorbia along a public sidewalk, really? Are you (and your kids) that fragile?

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  10. If that one big one sets seed, you'll be off and running, with more plants than you can use. I don't give mine much water, so I don't get that big, tropical presence, but they flower almost immediately even at a small size, so there's always tons of seeds that start germinating in spring and continue to pop up all summer. I pull most of them out (you saw them growing as weeds here along the roads). For size, I'd pull away the gravel and make a big watering basin and see what happens -- just as long as something precious nearby doesn't suffer from the extra water!

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    1. I like the idea of a water basin! Did I ever confess that the one you brought me to SF died?

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  11. My story with these is one of unrequited love. I, too, aspire to Heather's way with the evil bean. So far, the best performer here was one that volunteered in a big pot (no idea how it got there). I'll keep trying, cuz I love them so.

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    1. One just showed up in a container? That's pretty wonderful...

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    2. It did, and it was.

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  12. No matter what size, they are gorgeous plants. That color is simply stunning.

    If I didn't have pets that thought they were goats/sheep/cows and grazed on everything they can get in their mouths (I'm looking at you, Aries and Caena), I'd have a few in my garden as well.

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  13. I love the leaves of Castor beans! I don't have a bed big enough to grow them : (
    I do hate to tell you this but in Houston they are weeds...grow in vacant lots and get huge!

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    1. Ya it figures that they are, just like in L.A....damn.

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  14. Oh..! I got a nice backlit shot of this bad boy at Fling.I never tried this plant , though always admire it in friends gardens.

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    1. I can't wait to see your photos from the fling Kathy, you've got a way...

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  15. Yikes, we forgot to get any going in our garden this year, oops! Such fun plant, grows quick, big, and looks great. I won't be surprised if you make this your favourite plant of the week again later this year, this time huge leaves and seed capsules (have you ever done repeats before?).

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    1. I did a repeat once by accident. Maybe this will have to be a foliage follow-up sometime...

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  16. It is a beautiful plant! Maybe it likes its neighbors better in that one spot? Or maybe it's just taking time for the others to get their legs. In any case, they all look full and healthy, and the color is ravishing.

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    1. I keep reminding myself we've still got a hot couple of months ahead so who knows, anything could happen...

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  17. Wow, lovely plants you have there! Castor beans are one of my favorites of all time as well. I'm emotionally attached to this plant (no matter what its reputation) since it was my FIRST tropical plant that I grew as a child. Back in the '60s nobody cared that it was deadly because none of us were going to eat the seeds or plants. Recently, I've found that the seeds are difficult to purchase due to liability issues for the companies that sell it. Still, we have them growing around Houston in odd places and that's how gardeners find the seeds. My favorite is the all green/blue green variety called Ricinus zanzibarensis. I found it growing in a ditch last summer and now have a few growing in my garden. It is by far the fastest growing of the species/cultivars I've tried. Loree, you can email me at texanagarden@gmail.com if I ever get seeds from it. It's a shy bloomer, but I'll mail you some if it ever blooms. Right now it's about 8 feet tall and growing like a skyscraper. I'll do a post soon so you can see them. Thanks for sharing your plants with us. Oh, and here's a funny (actually bizarre and sad) story about Ricinus plants. A few years back we had some growing along a vacant lot in our neighborhood. Somebody thought the leaves looked like the wild marijuana plants (both are palmate) and cut them all down. Weird, huh? David/:0)

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    1. "Back in the '60s nobody cared that it was deadly"...you're so right! The decade of no seat belts, no head rests and driving with a beer between your legs. A poisonous plant was the least of our concerns. I'll take you up on that seed offer, should you ever get them (I'll email you) and yikes! Marijuana. I thought you were going to say someone dried and smoked them...

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  18. My day-late entry: http://agrowingobsession.com/?p=57771

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  19. You know of my mixed feelings about this plant Loree, but I must say in this colour it really is gorgeous. The foliage is so much more impressive in purple. I stop seeing 'weed' when I look at it! I think I remember seeing this one on your blog previously (that was growing somewhere else) that had seeds and they were bright pinky red and looked very striking. I hope they get nice and big for you. Will they last through your winter? I cut down a few more along the side of the shed (green of course, and where there was once one, there are now 3) but couldn't get the roots out so they'll be back for sure. There is a house I walk past though that has, purposely or not, had one growing freely for some time now. It is humungous! The biggest I've seen. My favourite: http://crmbsgrdn.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/my-favourite-plant-in-garden-this-week_27.html

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    1. I've heard of them lasting through the mildest of the , mildest winters, but also in gardens that are in a slightly warmer part of town. So it's doubtful. Ah well...I do think the big one will set some seed before the it goes away so maybe it will live on that way. Plus yes the seed pods are gorgeous!

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  20. I love castor beans too. Such terrific bold statements. I love the variety you are growing. Such a great red color. Mine are a bit red/green and not so beautifully colored. I think they really like to have hot summer nights to really get growing. Mine haven't gotten as large this year as usual but it's been a cooler summer than usual so that's probably why.

    My favorite plant this week is Begonia 'Anna Feile' http://deanneart.blogspot.com/2014/08/my-favorite-plant-in-garden-this-week.html#comment-form

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