Although sometimes known as the prickly rhubarbs, they are not related to the edible rhubarb grown in gardens and allotments across the UK. However they do posses the ability to wow the non-gardener and connoisseur alike. There are nearly 50 species worldwide, often growing in damp woods, by streams and ponds. Some will produce gargantuan parasols of foliage (we've grouped these as Border forms), others produce the most delightfully delicate ground cover (grouped under Ground cover forms). All foliage is textured and bold, whether large or small. Flowers are curious and often followed by colourful berries.
We are no longer selling Gunnera tinctoria or Gunnera manicata (G. x cryptica), as they are both classed as an invasive alien species (under EU legislation, which is still applicable in the UK), meaning it is banned for sale here. There is increasing concern in the wetter and warmer parts of the British Isles that these invasive species that can dominate wetland habitats, completely excluding native plants. We will also take measures to control them in our garden.
Being wind-pollinated they offer little to foraging insects, though the fruits are consumed (and dispersed) by birds, including song thrushes and starlings, and the leaves eaten by larvae of some common moths.