This perennial dies back to below ground level each year in autumn, then fresh new growth appears again in spring.

• Position: full sun
• Soil: good quality compost or moderately fertile, humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil
• Rate of growth: average to fast
• Hardiness: tender (will need winter protection)
  
  An award winning short-lived perennial, often grown as a pot plant curiosity, with 'sensitive' leaves that fold and close up when touched. Triggered by tiny hairs on the finely divided leaves (a response to heavy downpours and pests in the wild), the stems gradually recover over a few hours to reset themselves and soak up the sun once more. Small pink pom-pom flowers emerge later in the year as the plant matures, as does a number of small rose-like thorns used by Mimosa pudica to scramble through other shrubby plants in its native Central and South America. It can be grown indoors on a bright windowsill.
  
  
• Growing instructions: Grow indoors in medium-sized pots of compost, sowing thinly and covering lightly with a fine layer of compost. Firm in gently and keep moist. Cover with glass, polythene or a propagator lid and maintain temperatures at approx. 20ºC. Germination may be slow and erratic, but seedlings will often start to appear within 14-42 days. When they do start to appear, remove the cover and thin out to approx. 5cm apart, leaving around half a dozen seedlings to grow on. Water sparingly, allowing compost to almost dry out between waterings.
  
  
• Sow: January to December
  
  
• Flower: July to October
  
  
• Tip: Touching the plants too often can drain them of energy and shorten their lives. Once established, an occasional feed with a weak liquid fertiliser is recommended.