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<i>Melianthus major</i>
<i>Melianthus major</i>
<i>Melianthus major</i>
<i>Melianthus major</i>
<i>Melianthus major</i>
<i>Melianthus major</i>

Melianthus major

honey bush

1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 1 star 5.0 5
(10)

As they unfurl in early spring, the spectacular, grey-green leaves up to 50cm (20in) long reveal serrated edges that look as though...

2 litre pot
£12.37 £16.49
available to order from late spring
1

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Crisply serrate foliage, in misty blue-green, erupts from the ground in late summer and this impressive plant may even produce a totally superfluous waxy maroon-brown flower spike for you in hot summers Val Bourne - Garden Writer

Plant description

As they unfurl in early spring, the spectacular, grey-green leaves up to 50cm (20in) long reveal serrated edges that look as though they have been cut with pinking shears. This dramatic architectural shrub makes a stunning specimen for a sunny, perennial border or exotic-style garden in warmer areas of the country. In hot summers, it sends up curious tubular, reddish-brown flowers, but it is the wonderful foliage that stops you in your tracks. To stop it getting leggy, it is best cut back in early spring and the plant will make up to 1.5m growth in one season. To minimise the risk of frost damage it's important to provide a dry winter mulch. It is quite late into leaf in spring, so you do need to be patient, but you may be surprised by the amount of growth it will put on late in the year.

Eventual height & spread

Eventual height and spread

Flowering period

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Plant features

Position

Full sun

Rate of growth

Average

Soil

Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil

How to care for Melianthus major:

Water frequently until established and apply a generous mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost around the base of the plant in spring. Although it is a shrub, this plant is best treated as a perennial and cut down to within two or three buds from the base in early spring. It will shoot back from the base. Protect with a dry winter mulch of straw or bracken, especially in cold winters.

Please note:

This shrub is semi-evergreen, so it can lose some of its leaves in winter. In colder regions or more exposed gardens, it may lose them all, but then fresh new foliage appears again in spring.

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