I would doubt it Neil. It is rather difficult to grow in its early years anyway. I hope you have very mild winters where you are, you don't say exactly, otherwise it *will* have to be grown in a large pot under glass for a couple of years and it will never look truly magnificent unless it is grown without restriction.

Great comments,thank you.I am in S.W Scotland although it does get rather cold,it is mainly mild if rather wet!

Dumfries is probably the best county in the whole of Britain for growing Gunnera. Neillybhoy is being rather diplomatic when he says it is only 'rather wet'. (We have friends in Gatehouse who we visit regularly). Like Sarraceniac I think that the gunnera will do better if it is allowed free run of its roots but I don't agree with the 'very mild winter' requirement. I know of several magnificent specimens in Moray where we often have (short) spells of -10 or less.

Sorry Bulbaholic, I think you have misunderstood my answer. If you want to grow one under two or three years old you need VERY mild. Like most semi-tropicals, it gets hardier as it gets older, and bigger. So I agree that you know of several 'magnificent specimens', my own gunnera is 'magnificent' and so, as we are also mild (USDA equiv 8), there is now no problem. But I followed my own advice about under glass for three years. A neighbour didn't, and lost his.

OK, Sarraceniac, point taken. I did not know that. Thanks.

What size pot do you end up with it in by the 3rd yr sarraceniac?
We have it here in our garden,its survived the last 10 winters with the crowns covered with its leaves :O)
I took some cuttings from it last spring which i gave a way barring 1 which is in a pot under the leaves, im hoping it will survive but if it doesnt what size should i pot up to by the 3rd yr on my next cutting.thanks julie x

It ended up in an old galvanized dustbin, the kind that dustmen used to come up your path and carry to the dustcart. I drilled holes in it for drainage but not a lot because gunnera manicata likes to be kept moist but not sodden and stood it under the car-port for the final winter. Before that it was in the cool greenhouse for a winter in one of those great big ceramic planters about 2' across and 2'6" high and before that a black flower bucket, with holes, about a foot across in a warm greenhouse in the days when fuel was reasonable enough to afford to heat one. Today I would move it into the spare room in the house for the worst of winter for year one. In case you haven't guessed, I grew from seed.

My one year old Gunnera manicata has lots of green shoots coming up. It has been very mild here all winter so far, rarely getting below freezing and only once did it fall to -5, back in early December. Mine is in a pot but going in the ground this year with Ligularia, Rhus and Rodgersia henrici.