There is truly no limit to what a plant breeder with a good imagination will try. Plantsman Martin Grantham, formerly of the UC-Berkeley Botanic Gardens, decided to breed beschornerias since those with the showiest of flowers were not very winter hardy. For us, this winter-hardy hybrid has made a 3′ clump of wide, gray-green, non-spiny foliage, topped in mid-spring with a giant 2″ thick, bright red stalk that reaches an amazing 7′ tall. The main stalk branches toward the tip with smaller red horizontal stalks, which are in turn adorned with long tubular red flowers tipped in green. Keep in mind that these are seed grown and each plant may be slightly different. If you like horticultural curiosities, we’re here to help.
