Cut the leaves off and lay them right on top of the crown. They aren't hardy so protection is necessary...

I suppose its hardiness depends on your specific climate. I live in W. Seattle not too far from the Sound, and it has been completely hardy here for about 8 years or so. I have friends who live near Dash Point and its even milder there. If you're in a cold valley maybe that makes a difference. Anyway, with its own leaves and even a blanket of burlap it should be AOK. Frost will not harm it at all. In a super hard freeze, the above coverings should protect it sufficiently.

My experience is similar to Eric's - and it depends on the species as well. G. manicata, the most commonly sold form in this area, is fully hardy to zone 7 without protection. Individual microclimates will have a bearing as well. I dislike layering the old foliage over the crown as it provides an ideal wintering location for slugs. And slugs dearly love newly emerging gunnera leaves, tough as they are.

This will be the second winter for our G. tinctoria in the cascade foothills. Each year we have placed the old leaves over the crown, this last year we added a layer of maple leaves (which we have in abundance). Each year it has come back better than the year before. I have no method to compare it to so I don't know if it was necessary, but it did work. This year was the first time it put up a flower stalk and it had multiple crowns.

A strange looking thing it was too. Never really flowered, or opened. I really don't know what a G. tinctoria flower should look like. I am hoping to collect some seed from it this fall.

jb

JB - gunnera flowers are odd looking things. Flowers are pretty tiny compared to the scale of the rest of the plant and somewhat insignificant. What IS noticeable is the stalk with its pinkish tinge. See below. btw, this is a fully opened flower stalk, such as it is

Tinctoria is the least hardy of the genus and last winter was remarkably mild. As you are in the foothills and likely a zone colder than closer to sea level, I'd definitely go for some winter protection.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I'm not really clear on the difference between G. chilensis and G. tinctoria (perhaps they represent a variety of similar ecotypes native from southern Chile up to Ecuador)... but G. manaciata from Brazil is distinct and I can usually tell it apart from the others. In my experience G. chilensis is the hardier plant. However in 1998 it got to about 12F and all the above-ground parts of the plant died. The following spring some new crowns emerged from below the soil level.

Also, I've never seen a real G. manicata sold at a retailer in the Seattle area. All plants labeled as such have been G. chliensis. I did get a real G. manicata from Forestfarm, though. G. chilensis is quite a bit tougher to heat and cold and prefers sun. G. manicata hates extremes of temperature and thrives in cool semi-shade. It froze out completely in 1998 at Jungle Fever in Tacoma... and I can't think of any others I've seen up here in Washington (though maybe I just can't remember!)

The seed should be ripe now. They are little yellowish balls on the outside of the inflorescence. You can collect entire pieces of inflorescence and lay them horizontally on a flat of peat moss (or pots) and you will have lots of tiny Gunneras in the spring.

G. chilensis (tinctoria?), my garden

G. manicata, Oregon coast (in more sun, the leaves would not be quite so flat)

Great! Thanks for your help everyone.

I should have said third winter. It has gone through two. Yes that is the spike that our G. tinctoria has. It stayed pretty green, I don't remember it getting reddish like the pic. I'll cut it down this weekend and see what it contains.

Purchased it at Heronswood so am guessing it's correctly labled. I have heard before there is confusion over there being a difference.

jb

One of my Gunneras is seven or eight years old and planted in full sun in ground that dries out in late summer if I don't water it. I should have planted it in a wetter, shadier place. Some of the stalks collapse in late August. Two other plants, better positioned, don't collapse until the end of the season.

Slugs chew holes in the leaves if I don't put slug bait down. Here's a picture of a friend with her head through one of the holes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gunnera

Hakuna Matata! I've winterized my Gunnera Manicata.

And I've sown some seeds per Ian's advice.

I love this plant.

Jim

Had to look up the word inflorescence. Here is a good article and a a black and white photo of hte difference between a manicata and tinctoria inflorescence. I deffinitely have the tinctoria. You can see that the inflorescence are much more tightly spaced on the flowering stalk.

I cut them off the other day and brought them into the greenhouse. They are starting to mold. Not sure why.

jb

Here is a link that might be useful: Inflorescence

JB - plant the seeds outside; you'll have a lot better luck. It's OK if they freeze and I think lots of rain helps to wash away germination inhibitors. Theoretically the infl. (I'm tired of typing that word) pieces will rot and the seeds will come up in April.

Ian, I only brought them in to dry a bit and harvest the seeds. Doesn't seem to be working too well.:) When you say plant do you mean to just lay the infl. on top of the soil?

Thanks,
jb

JB, yes, I just use peat moss and lay the infl. pieces on the surface. There is no need to dry them at all.

Thanks!

I have a couple volunteer plants that look like gunnera. No idea where they came from, but suspect the birds planted them. The leaves definitely look like gunnera but the flower looks more like Queen Anne's lace than the spikey flowers I'd expect of gunnera. Any idea what this plant could be?