Giant dandelion at Trengwainton grows taller than head gardener

Most dandelions get pulled up and forgotten. This one has people making a special trip to see it.

A giant Madeiran dandelion at Trengwainton garden near Penzance has grown to more than two metres tall, leaving visitors doing a double take as they walk beneath its foliage. It stands taller than the National Trust’s own head gardener, and a video of the plant has turned it into an unlikely social media star seen by thousands.

Not the kind that grows between the paving slabs

The plant is a giant Madeiran dandelion (Sonchus fruticosus), also known as the giant sowthistle. It is a rare subtropical species native to Madeira, and it would not normally survive outdoors across most of the UK.

What lets it flourish is the microclimate inside Trengwainton’s sheltered walled garden. The conditions there suit a range of rare, subtropical plants that would struggle anywhere else in the country.

“The plant is the giant”

Head Gardener Tom Bush said: “Sonchus fruticosus, which also goes by the name of the Madeiran giant dandelion or giant sowthistle, wouldn’t normally survive outdoors all year round in this country, but the walled gardens at Trengwainton are full of rare, sub-tropical species like this because conditions here allow them to thrive.

“Standing underneath its foliage is like being transported to Lilliput, but in this case the plant is the giant!”

See it for yourself

The garden is open from 10am to 5pm, Sunday to Thursday. You can also follow the giant dandelion and the rest of the collection on Trengwainton’s Instagram account.

📷National Trust - Tom Bush Trengwainton head gardener with giant dandelion © National Trust images Marina Rule