About this cultivar:
Rheum alexandrae stand out in the garden. Headlining a tall wondrous tower clothed in overlapping hand-sized creamy yellow bracts that veil its insignificant flowers and seeds, this magnificent perennial hails from the high altitude, lush marshy meadows and stream sides of Tibet and western China. Deep roots sprout a lustrous, low basal rosette defined by distinctive white-veined lance-shaped leaves. The long lasting scalelike bracts become streaked with burgundy, while autumn brings fiery claret and orange to the foliage. A seldom-offered rarity, Alexander’s Rhubarb delivers extraordinary architectural panache to a sunny, yet cool, rich damp location.
- Position: Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
- Flowers: May, June, July
- Other features: -
- Hardiness: Fully hardy, grows well in Ballyrobert
- Habit: Clump forming, Columnar or Upright
- Foliage: Deciduous
- Height: 60 - 90 cm (2 - 3 ft)
- Spread: 30 - 60 cm (1 - 2 ft)
- Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
- Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
- Colour: Green, yellow
- Goes well with: --
About this genus:
Rheum (re-um) is a genus of about 60 perennial plants in the smart weed family (Polygonaceae). Kin to the edible Rhubarb, these ornamental perennials spawn large brawny leafage and tall intriguing floral spires.
Some sources say the name has its origin in the Ancient Greek word rheon, which was used by Dioscorides, possibly for a plant in this genus. However the Greeks also called rhubarb 'rha'. Also, it is also the Russian word for the river Volga- where rhubarb is thought to have originated!
Rheum can be utilized as a specimen in the mixed border, the landscape or skirting the water’s edge. They will gorw most places that are not too dry or too shady.