Habitat: wet places, pool sides
Soil: rich, with plenty of humus
Height: 1.5 m
Flowering: summer
Width: 60 cm
The rhubarbs include some small alpine species, and some dramatic giants. They all provide unusual and interesting structure, often with good autumn colour.
Rheum alexandrae SDR6031 is a fine, large plant, growing in really wet places, in this case between large rocks. It has tall flowering stems, completely covered with overlapping huge, triangular, creamy bracts.|
| Rheum alexandrae SDR1830 is magnificent, growing in really wet place, in the wild often with Primula sikkimensis. The tall flowering stems are completely covered with huge, triangular, creamy bracts. | |
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| Rheum alexandrae SDR4602 is a magnificent species with a crown of many not very large fleshy leaves. When it flowers it sends up a tall stem, clothed in cream-coloured bracts, overlapping and hiding the insignificant flowers and then the seeds. Surrounded by Primula sikkimensis it looks wonderful - and that is a combination to try in cultivation. | |
| Rheum palmatum var. tanguticum has deeply cut, red-purple new leaves which fade to green as they age. In summer there are dramatic panicles of cerise flowers. A real talking point in a border. | |
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| Rheum SDR5919 comes from stony slopes, high on a rarely visited mountain. It has sprays of pink flowers on short, loosely branched stems, and rounded, deep green leaves, turning red before they fade away in autumn. |