My great Uncle Gunter lived on a ruined fishing boat on the South Downs with his Jack Russell, Braveheart. He used to grow Leonotis Leonurus on the port side of his vessel to warn other salty sea dogs of the hilly hazard. He always maintained that this system had worked marvelously and that another vessel hadn’t come close to disaster for two decades. But even as a child I always suspected this was because the sea was fifteen miles away.
What is this Leonotis Leonurus of which you speak, Higgledy man?
Leonotis Leonurus is one of the most full on rock and roll annuals ever known to man. Reaching to seven foot with bonkers orange flowers on vertical spires. Quite frankly it looks as though it has arrived from the future.
It is mildly psychoactive, so don’t leave it near the dogs bowl unless you want Rex to start leaving poetry and pictures all over the kitchen. It has been suggested that smoking the leaves gives an effect similar to cannabis though more mild. (Please don’t try this at home and die, if you do…don’t blame me.)
Originating from S. Africa our friend Leonotis is a distant relative of the dead nettle and being tender need to be protected from the frosts…or treated as an annual.
How to grow Leonotis Leonurus.
Usually it is labeled as being for ‘experienced’ gardeners but don’t let that put you off. Give it a go, it’s really not that tricky.
All you need to remember to do is start it off early under glass. I suggest six weeks before the last frost. So for me in Cambridge this would be the start of April.
Then plant out after the last frost date. Give at least 50cms between plants. It’s best to add some compost to your soil before planting.
They are drought tolerant but don’t let it get too dry whilst it’s still a youngster.
Leonotis Leonurus and wildlife.
This fella is a winner as far as attracting wildlife is concerned. Although obviously it is best at doing this at home in its native South Africa. However our own insects dig the vibe it offers and bees and butterflies seem to love being in it’s company.
As a cut flower it goes well with bluecornflowers…perhaps a little Ammi Visnaga to soften it up…and Cosmos seems to work well too.
Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.
Leonotis will appear in the Higgledy Shop in a few short weeks…probably before Halloween.
Kindest Regards
Benjamin
August 10, 2013 @ 1:05 pm
Hello
Just come across your web site, how do get a lions ear plant or seeds to propagate one,
Thanks for your help
Robert Sharples
August 16, 2013 @ 8:28 pm
Hi Robert…I am trying to find some myself…I will let you know…I suspect i will have them in the shop for next spring…so stay tuned!
Balcony gardening-planning for pollinators « Out of my shed
February 2, 2012 @ 1:08 pm
[…] be shared and with friends and family too. I haven’t grown any of these perennials before: Leonotis ‘Staircase’, Agastache aurantiaca ‘Fragrant Carpet’, and Image from […]
January 26, 2012 @ 2:09 pm
Ben, this issue of poisonous cut flowers has been on my mind lately. There are so many that shouldn’t be ingested (delphinium, foxglove, lupin, etc. etc.) – how does one handle this issue? Obviously bouquets wouldn’t sell very well with big “toxic” signs attached. Do you, as a grower, feel any responsibility, especially when you’re selling direct, not through a florist? (This paranoid interrogation is coming from someone who allows self-seeded foxglove to grow amongst the raspberry patch where little children snack on fruit – well-trained little ones though!) Just wondering if there’s anything to watch out for when selling poisonous blooms (other than not eating them yourself).
January 26, 2012 @ 2:31 pm
I’m not worried..and am certainly not sending ‘toxic’ labels…I have never heard of anyone becoming ill from a bunch of flowers. There’s enough to be worried about in the world without being afraid of flowers!
Just inform kids they are NEVER to eat anything from the garden or the wild without properly identifying it.
Ricinus | Higgledy Garden
December 14, 2011 @ 8:19 pm
[…] contrasted well with the dark copper, so our friend Cosmos Purity can enter stage left if desired. Leonotis will continue the exotic vibe and the orange will too work well with copper foliage. But best of […]
Moluccella laevis. Bells of Ireland. | Higgledy Garden
December 12, 2011 @ 8:29 pm
[…] displaying them with Cosmos ‘Purity’ for a soft county farmhouse look or Leonotis for a more, ‘mad as a bag of cockerels’ feel. (All the rage in North […]
Cosmos ‘Purity’. | Higgledy Garden
December 7, 2011 @ 10:52 pm
[…] same time. I like to contrast the simple and orderd beauty of Cosmos Purity with the nuttiness of Leonotis and the busyness of […]
Amaranthus caudatus. Love Lies Bleeding. | Higgledy Garden
November 23, 2011 @ 9:27 pm
[…] it with Didiscus Blue Lace Flower and Leonotis for an exotic flower fest that will frighten your […]
November 23, 2011 @ 9:36 am
I love this plant Ben – but didn’t grow it this year – it is back on my list for next year. It even seems to survive the winds we get here on the coast. As you say, the bonkers orange flowers are fab-u-lous
K
November 23, 2011 @ 4:35 pm
Glad you like it Karen, you have such good taste for the finer flowers in life. :) I’m surprised it isn’t grown more.
November 23, 2011 @ 12:30 am
Really? Psychoactive? Don’t let that rumour get around these parts – my entire crop will go up in smoke. In little ol’ NZ it’s a perennial – I love it, it gets all feisty and ferocious just coming into autumn. When everything else is getting a bit dark and dreary.
Very regal, a fitting flower for your court my liege.
November 23, 2011 @ 8:45 am
Thank you Princess Anna, We have had it in the Royal court for some time and look forward to it’s re-arrival next Spring.
It has been used in South African herbal remedies for ions…very powerful stuff I’m told. Also VERY toxic in high does…#organdamage So keep those Kiwi teens in the dark.
November 23, 2011 @ 12:25 am
Really? Psychoactive? Don’t let that rumour get around these parts – my entire crop will go up in smoke. In little ol’ NZ it’s a perennial – I love it, it gets all feisty and ferocious just coming into autumn. When everything else is getting a bit dark and dreary.
Very regal, a fitting flower for your court my liege.
November 22, 2011 @ 8:41 pm
Braveheart! Ace name for a Jack Russell
November 22, 2011 @ 9:01 pm
Thx Rachel, I have an imaginary Jack called Gatsby. ;)