No-one really thinks of a Rhubarb plant being used in a tropical design. There are a number of giant varieties which offer instant huge red, green and copper foliage and every couple of years or so gigantic flower stems which shoot up 14 feet or more... a real staggering sight!!!
The leaves on this variety are soft and slightly hairy. They tend to droop down unless watered well. Like most bog plants they exist as a blobby rhizome which initially sends out mini leaves to gather the energy to make big leaves. This guy get really massive so give it plenty of room. It likes strong light in order to flower, but too direct and the leaves will burn.
The leaves die off in Winter, but the rhizome is ultra tough and you need not offer any protection. There are all kinds of variations of this plant and most garden centres will treat them all as the same thing, so maybe a specialist store is the best place to track one down.
I have another variety which I cannot put a name to. It is similar in leaf structure, but the leaves curl inwards rather than outwards and stand erect rather than flopping about in a bunch. The flower spikes are also way way taller. If I find out what it is i'll let you know as I think it is far more striking and doesn't consume so much room as it likes to stand upright.
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