Ricinus communis

Very striking Amy :)

Love this plant. I grew some last year, but the winds shredded the big leaves. It made it loof awful.

A real statement Amy, and beautiful colouring. I'm so pleased you're enjoying your garden now..:))

Thanks girls I'm enjoying growing the seeds I brought with me Janey memories from 'The Hollies' but the garden is hard work and it will be a long time before we knock it into shape ,never mind it keeps us busy ... x

I like architectural plants. They look good for longer.

It's stunning, Amy!

Thanks Linda and David ,I'm hoping they will form seeds for next year ..

That's nice Amy.

the leaves are large enough that you could use them as an umbrella! I love these plants but I worry about the deer or other browsers who may try to sample them. They grow so large and quickly too. Keep track of the seeds tho, won't you? children find them attractive. sorry to be a worry wort! lol...

Thanks Dawn , Good advice Lori the seeds are poisonous, the plants don't often survive here I collect the seeds to grow the next year ...

Looking good.......ours was disappointing this year, didn't like the heat!!

Thats strange Dd I have 4 plants in the hottest place possible in fact I thought the heat would kill them ,maybe its the soil but then you are sandy to aren't you ... it could be the seed I picked mine originally of a plant in France ..

I was also surprised that yours didn't like the heat, Dd2. Someone on GoY, (I think it was Delonix1, said that they grow wild around his home near San Diego, California. Lots of heat in California these days apparently.
I have a friend who did something similar with Wisteria, Amy, when in Italy... she didn't realize that the seeds she had picked up out of curiosity had lain in the bottom of her handbag through all their check-ins and check-outs. She thought the seeds were no good and threw them into the garden, hoping but not expecting them to germinate... Next season she had some interesting vines growing! lol...

Your friend is obviously like me Lori ,I often find seeds tucked in my purse, bag or pocket the problem then is that I don't remember what they were :o(

LOL... aren't riddles lovely? Put it in some soil and wait to see what you get? I did that once with seeds I'd gathered on a walk... brought them home and put them in my flower beds...and guess what?

I'm trying to guess Lori ,was it a tree Lol .. I have nurtured a weed in the past , the original seed had rotted off leaving a weed to grow in its place ,I looked after it for weeks before I realized :o(

DD - you're not alone. Mine were so bad that I binned them!

Meanie I was beginning to think it was us!! they were new seeds too, even more annoying......also the Tithonia was awful! Dahlias were slow to get going.

Yup, the Tithonia got binned as well!!!!!!!

guess what? lol... they took over! wild things tend to do that when given the enrichments that our spoiled garden things take for granted! But they were lovely, in their time. (roadside sweet peas)
I'm nodding in agreement with Dd2 and Meanie... my zinnias came up beautifully from seed and stood still all summer until the moisture...then boom. two weeks before the frost they're blooming their little heads off. now they're black stocks... killing frost last night. so sad... our growing season comes and goes so fast.

Oh no Lori , frosts already that's bad news :o(