Giant Honey flower. An evergreen shrub from the grasslands and hills of South Africa. Primarily grown as an architectural foliage specimen, with spectacular grey-green or blue-green leaves. They have a nutty aroma when rubbed. It will quickly grow to 2-3m tall and wide.

The genus Melianthus means ‘honey flower’, from the Greek meli, meaning ‘honey’ and anthos, ‘flower’, referring to the nectar-rich flowers. The unusual blooms are produced in 60 cm spike like racemes. They are brownish crimson and appear as individual spurs. The contrast between the grey-blue foliage and the huge red inflorescences quickly attracts attention.

It comes from the winter-rainfall region of South Africa and grows actively in our winter rainy season. During the summer dry season, the plants that receive no water may die back, but the rootstock survives and sends up new stems when the rain returns in autumn. Plants that receive some water all year remain evergreen, with new growth initiated with the beginning of the rainy season, in autumn. During dry summers or whenever the plants are untidy, they should be cut back hard at the end of summer, to encourage new growth. The plants can survive in cold areas with frost, sending new shoots from the base in spring.