You wouldn’t expect such tropical-looking foliage from an inexpensive seed packet labeled “castor bean.”
But this budget-wise plant can’t be beaten for quick foundation plantings to banish the bare look of new plots.
Castor Bean Plant
It’s as quick-growing as Jack’s beanstalk and transforms an empty garden corner with magic akin to that of Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Use it until you can plant shrubs.
The castor bean serves best when planted as a screen to shut out undesirable views or as a background for a flower border.
While it will grow in the shade, provided it has good drainage, the plant is essentially one for the sunny parts of the garden.
Most of us know the Ricinus best by its common castor bean or mole plant names.
It is the source of castor oil and is thought to be useful in ridding gardens of moles.
Most Common Variety
There are many varieties, distinguished chiefly by the size and color of the large, palmate leaves.
The most common variety has green foliage, but there are some with bronzy foliage. There are others with maroon or dark red leaves and one with spotted leaves.
The plants grow from 3’ to 12’ feet tall. I have seen many in Florida and other parts of the South that resembled small trees.
Poisonous Seeds
The seed may be sown outdoors or indoors in early spring and transplanted in May to the open border.
Give the plants ample room to develop—at least 3’ or 4’ feet each way. The fruit of the castor bean is a capsule containing three large seeds.
These are considered poisonous, and children should be cautioned not to put them in their mouths, not that this is likely if they realize they are tasting anything connected with castor oil.
Pleasure From Planting Ricinus
I think I got the most pleasure out of my ricinus toward the end of last summer and up until the first frost.
Two or three of the huge maroon and green leaves, waxed and placed flat in a low copper bowl, with a spray or two of the red, spiny-looking fruit, made an arrangement handsome enough to capture a blue ribbon at my garden club show.
Goodbye Moles
It was mainly our desire to rid our garden of its mule inhabitant that made us aware of the usefulness of the Ricinus.
Last spring, a friend gave us some castor bean seeds to plant along the outside border of our yard, which was almost devoid of trees.
The purpose of the castor bean plants was to give a little protection for our low-growing flowers and to catch our mole unaware.
The seeds were planted in May, and in no tune, we had young, healthy plants that grew with unbelievable speed.
Protecting The Foliage
They lived up to our expectations, a protective foliage screen, and kept my verbena and heliotrope from the direct rays of the sun all summer long.
As for the mole, I do not know whether or not the mole plants were wholly responsible for getting rid of him.
It is true we did not see him the rest of the summer, but then we had set traps for him when we first noticed his zigzag route across our lawn and under our prized chrysanthemums long before we planted the castor bean seeds.
What’s In A Name?
Don’t let the “stepchild” names keep you from enjoying ricinus.
Just consider how easy and quick it is to grow, its simple requirements of sun and drainage, and the luxuriant tropical foliage; then give this Cinderella plant a chance.
After all, what’s in a name?
44659 by Dodothy Kidd Sampson