Lion's Tail or Wild Dagga

To say that I abused these little seedlings would probably be an understatement. I started inside and, to make a long story short, waited waaayyyy too long to transplant outside. With that said, just when I was about to give up hope I noticed one of the little sprouts had survived, and as the summer progressed it started to grow astoundingly quick. I have to agree with another reviewer that what grew for me seems to be Leonotis nepetifolia or 'Lion's ear' rather than the Leonotis leonurus commonly referred to as 'Lion's tail'. It has a somewhat quirky aesthetic with it's tall stalk(s) culminating in a series of spiky balls, which open to reveal their light orange flowers. Perhaps because of it's challenged beginnings, mine didn't start flowering until almost mid-October - but it is flowering just fine, despite being grown in a pot. A friend I gave seeds to grew in a pot as well and her's flowered too.

The first plant I had bought from a store had gorgeous orange flowers and this year I could not find this plant anywhere so I ordered the seeds. It grew fast, 1 in pot is 8ft tall while 1 in ground is 6ft. I was hoping for the beautiful orange colors but these are a dull whitish, orange color. Not at all the colors I thought they were supposed to be. Hoping next year to try again because I absolutely love this plant when it produces the bright colors

I love this plant. I read that you can't grow in pot but that's false. I've always grown in pots and this year my lions tail is at least 6ft tall and is starting to bloom, the 1 I planted in the ground is only about 4ft and has not bloomed yet. However, I thought I purchased the orange flowers but so far they're white with an orange tint. I'm not sure if the hummingbirds are going to like these. Guess I'll find out real soon.

Rainy and cool summer late sow (started indoors end of March). Plenty of blooms end of August. 7-8' tall, 3' wide with 8 hours of direct sunlight. Scarce use of compost. Bees are attracted by the flowers. It has nonetheless been the coup de coeur of the year. Great for mass planting. Nice combination with red amaranth and giant yellow sunflower.

We sowed the seed in trays. The seedlings were small, but they develeoped a great root system. Lion's Tail needs to go into the warm soil as soon as possible. It does not produce blossoms in pots, it just becomes leggy. In a warm climate it is spectacular.