Melianthus Major

[DiCasS]

Not seen this mentioned much. I bought one a while back but it's still in it's pot. Have many survived the Winter. Some say hardy, some not. I would expect to lose the top growth, but does it come back from the roots?

Cheers

Di

[Jo A P]

I'll add a question as well - is it easy to grow from seed? I've killed 2 & just got another.

[metalhammer]

Di,mine had always come back until winter 2008/9,only put in a slight reappearance by early August & got totally trashed last winter.

I've tried 2 or 3 times from seed Jo,but never have had any pop.


I'm probably going incur a lot of peoples wrath,but I think Melianthus is over-rated.Probably does better in the ground,have always found them weak growing in a pot,or did I just get a poor plant?.




metalhammer.

[Darlo Mark]

well I'm feeling smug now as I got 4 seeds to germinate from 10 seeds. I bought mine from jungle seeds. I put one in the ground and it is now double the size of the ones in the pot.
They were slow to germinate and to be honest forget about them in the greenhouse. I think they like it dry!

I'm going to overwinter 3 in the greenhouse and see how the one in the ground fares over winter as an experiment. Any winter like the last 2 will probably see it off. Although I've been told that they normally come back if top growth is lost.

I wouldn't say that they were amazingly beautiful but they do make a good contrast as a foliage plant.

[DiCasS]

You should feel smug Mark, a good feeling when things germinate .

Mine was one of these impulse buys, you know the kind, you see it, not sure, but still buy it, then wonder what the heck to do with it.

I only got it a few weeks ago and will keep it potted for this year but like the thought of it planted out permanently. It's not really one that I want to keep potted.

Di

[Jo A P]

I've heard they're better in the ground than in pots, & my 2nd one which was planted did better than the first which was potted. Unfortunately we had a terrible winter & it might have been too small to make it.

Good luck with yours Di, I hope it grows well!

I think I'll wait for the seeds to appear & sow my own! Funny things seeds, I can't for the life of me get nasturtiums to grow & yet everyone says they're easy!
Well done you Mark!

[DiCasS]

Bad news about the one in the ground Jo Hope you have more luck with it this time.

Melianthus comosus sounds a nice one. Large deep red clawed flowers but unfortunately not hardy. Seeds from Chilterns.

Di

[Mick C]

I was tempted by cosumus seeds as well, but decided on M major instead, I have a few seedlings in the ground but will dig them up for winter.

I had a plant that I bought a few years ago that died in it's first winter, been given another to try this year.

[Yorkshire Kris]

I got a small M Major last spring and left it out in the ground all winter. All top growth died but has come back very strongly this year. Before last year I took some cuttings from the plant. All rooted well and I over wintered them in a greenhouse. I planted them out this spring and all are now 2 to 3 three high and nice and bushy.

Won't bother with cuttings this year as confident the plants will survive the cold. Perhaps there is some variation is hardiness and leaf colour? Some seem blue-green some plain green.

Kris

[redsquirrel]

tried twice and give up now.both dead as doornails after winters

[DiCasS]

Glad you managed to get it through the Winter Kris but by the sounds of it, looks like not many survived, well one I'll bring it into the greenhouse this Winter and I think plant it out next year and try some cuttings as backup. Kris, did you take your cuttings from new shoots?

Cheers guys.

Di

[JoelR]

I grew Melianthus Major from seed about 6 years ago from Jungle Seeds seed. They came up in early spring on a windowsill in a heated propogator with fairly good germination numbers. My plants have always been overwinted in pots either covered with fleece outdoors or moved into the garage in very cold weather. I got caught out in March this year and left my biggest plant out on a night when it dropped to -8C. All the top growth died except for the very tip which resulted in a very leggy stem. Plenty of new growth followed though so this stem was removed. I get a 50% success rate at rooting cuttings so I don't need to grow from seed although according to the late Christopher Lloyd, this plant can be quite variable from seed and larger leaved specimens are the most desirable.
I was chatting to a gardener from Broadstairs, Kent at the weekend who also grows Melianthus Major and finds it quite a thug and it flowers every year for him. I'm sure the lack of frost has a lot to do with it but I'd like to get a plant to flower nonetheless. The year I grew it from seed, I left a couple of plants out and they didn't survive but those plants were barely a year old. My biggest plant has been potted on to the extent that I can hardly lift the pot so might stand a better chance.
Anyone up north had any success with permanent outdoors plantings of melianthus?

[Darlo Mark]

I'll let you know in May!

[simon]

My M. major has survived outside for several years. The foliage does take a couple of degrees of frost but has never come through even in mid winters. I regard it as a hardy herbaceous perenniel in terms of its over-wintering (although not strictly true as it does produce wood). No chance of flowers though.

I did loose one a couple of years ago in the front garden but it's replacement survived last winter which was harsher.

I wonder if anyone knows how well they transplant, as I was planning to move the one in the front as it has become too shaded which seems to have set it back. Is it worth potting up in autumn and replanting in spring or better to just move it when it re-shoots in spring?

[Las Palmas Norte]

One I grow is Melianthus villosus. It looks and grows the same but with a green leaf. Very hardy and flowers every year, although this season only one flower stalk. Seeds do appear to be forming. I never water this plant and scarcely pay any attention to it. Maybe that's the key?

Cheers, Barrie.