I'm thinking about growing some in a large pot on my patio this summer. I've grown them before when I lived in Maine, and they do well here in the UK in borders. Does anyone have experience growing them in pots? I like the look of New Zealand Purple.

I've grown them in pots before Sue , on my patio; they did fine. Of course, they are limited by the size of the pot so would need a big container. I believe the varieties I grew were Carmencita and the plainer Green Ricinus ( it was some years ago) As I recall, Carmencita did better as it is not quite as large of a plant. Your New Zealand Purple looks very attractive; I love those dark rich leaves and of course they have such a great tropical look to them! I only ever grew Castor Bean in the garden once, it was a monster and I can remember trying to dig up those roots after the frost took it...... I never tried it again,lol.

Thanks for your input Debbie. I only have a tiny patio garden but I do have some large containers. I love cannas and lush looking tropicals which are treated as annuals here. Chiltern Seeds have NZ Purple so will definitely order some.

Love cannas too! I grow all of mine in pots on the patio. They really do bring a tropical look which is welcome on the Canadian prairie, believe me. It's a chore to bring them inside for the winter but will continue to do it as long as I am able.

Hello Sue,

You probably already know this, but I will mention it anyway. The seeds of castor beans are intensely poisonous (I suspect all parts of the plant may be to some extent), and because they are so "pretty", they can be attractive to children. So you should take measures to prevent children from having access to the beans.

I removed the flowers on my castor bean plants as soon as they appeared, to prevent them from setting any beans. I took that approach, because I wasn't sure I could keep the neighbor's children from accessing the plants. Castor beans contain Ricin, a very potent and dangerous poison.

ZM

Yes I'm well aware of the poisonous nature of Ricinus. There are many poisonous plants in our gardens. There will not be any children in the vicinity, but I doubt the plants will be able to form mature seed pods in this climate. Thanks for the input though.

I've harvested seeds from the plants in my short summer climate so would assume you can as well Sue. I was very careful with those seeds I must admit!