Linacre Plants

Considering its exotic looks, Clianthus is a fairly easy to grow plant,. It  doesn’t need a great deal of warmth to thrive and so will grow well in a cool greenhouse.

It is actually a shrub but is more treated as a climber. This is because of its long lax stems. As shrub the steams are too floppy and the flowers are not shown off to their best, but the plant can easily be trained by tying the stems into a sturdy trellis or a framework of horizontal wires.

Clianthus puniceus has several common names, including parrot’s bill and lobster claw, and both describe the shape of it well. The main features of the flowers are the colourful, claw shaped petals. In clianthus puniceus these are bright red and clianthus albus they are white with an occasional flush of green. They are born in dense clusters of up to 12 flowers, The foliage of these plants is also attractive. It is soft and delicate, made up of pairs of small leaves arranged along a stem. These plants can grow fairly large, so make sure they have enough space before you plant them. They grow best if left unpruned. Shortening the stem that have flowered is not a problem and may help to contain the plant a little.

A free-drained compost is important, so it is a good idea to incorporate some grit into the compost when first potting up, and to put crocks over the base of the drainage holes to prevent them from clogging up with compost.