False Hemp

We live in Seattle. Saw this plant in several horticultural gardens and we couldn't wait to add it to our backyard garden. All I can sa...Read Morey is that the horticultural gardens must have been pruning theirs diligently (as in all the time). It is a gorgeous plant but be aware that it gets ginormous! After 4 years, ours grows at least 14 ft. tall and the overhanging stems spread about 18 ft. The base where all the stems come from is about 2 ft. around. This year, it has over 40 stems with more still coming up from the base. We planted it in a location that is not large enough for it. So now we are trying to get rid of it. But the base is rock hard and would probably require an axe to break it up. I shudder to think of how large the roots are! I am not recommending that you don't plant it, just put it somewhere where it will have lots and lots of room to spread.

A huge, but graceful perennial. Delicate white flowers hang in elongated clusters below the arching stems. 7-8 feet tall and about 8-10 f...Read Moreeet wide. I'm in a very exposed windy site, and the plant has done beautifully. I only have a female plant so no seed is formed.

I dual majored in horticulture at Edmonds Community College in Washington state. We met this plant during a class trip for herbaceous pla...Read Morent ID. I thought it downright magical when I met it. It was by a walkway and it hung over so you could duck into it as you passed by and feel all the textures. Bravo to the garden designer!

The base is about 2' but the tops arch out to more like 6'. It does die to the ground in winter cold but shoots up 8' or more as a perennial. The tiny blooms were yellow-green. These plants are dioecious (must have plants of both genders for seed collection).

According to references in the UK, it is hardy to 27 degrees Fahrenheit, would benefit from winter mulch, is not drought tolerant, and can handle clay soils well. They say leaves and stems were commonly used for yellow dye and the plant originates in and around Turkey.

I couldn't find it available locally or from an online vendor I was confident in, so I ordered seeds from the UK. According to our friends across the pond, no treatment is needed for propagation, they may be sown whenever it's sensibly warm out or in flats indoors under a light dusting of soiless media (seed start mix/potting soil) kept moderately moist.

Germination occurs in 1 to 3 weeks. Seedlings should be transplanted to small pots (3-4") as soon as they're large enough to handle or hardened off and planted in the ground.

I wouldn't advise it for containers--even large ones--because of how heavy the tops become and the risk of rain-heavy stalks being caught in a stout wind and taking the container over.

Imposing plant to 10 ft. or more. Behaves like a dieback shrub, Vitex, etc. In time makes an imposing clump with thick stems ending wit...Read Moreh drooping greenish white flowers (not yellow as description states). Has no pests or diseases. Very unusual and decorative in the garden.