A handful of beans…

The beautiful seeds are Ricinus communis. Whilst the plant itself is extremely poisonous it has beautiful dark red-plum coloured architectural leaves, almost 30cm across.

Looks great in a hot border with grasses, Verbena bonariensis, Echinacea, Heleniums and Rudbeckia and, if it ever gets hot down here in Poole, I’ll post pictures of these gorgeous plants in my front garden….

Author: Mike the Gardener

Freelance gardening writer, consultant and designer. Mike Palmer is a passionate and professional plantsman, offering services in garden writing, consultancy and garden design. Mike is also available for garden and plant related talks and presentations. Mike has been a professional horticulturalist for over fifteen years. View all posts by Mike the Gardener