Good King Henry
Blitum bonus-henricus
Also called Lincolnshire spinach, Poor man's asparagus and Mercury
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitA PERENNIAL spinach that comes back for twenty years, and the trick is patience — take nothing at all in its first year, then cut the young shoots like asparagus in April and the leaves through summer. Old leaves go bitter and mealy.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 5 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Sun to part shade
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Very hardy RHS H7, to -25°C
- Size
- 0.7 m tall · 0.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Europe
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Neither authority names Blitum, nor the older name Chenopodium bonus-henricus. That is an absence and not a clean bill — and like spinach it carries oxalates, so it is cooked rather than eaten raw in quantity.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A plant that never gets going and fades out in its second summer. Take NOTHING the first year — it is building a crown that will then feed you for twenty.Cropped in its first year · disorder
- Leaves with a dry grey coating and a bitter edge. They are old; the crop is the young shoots in April and the youngest leaves after that.Bitter mealy leaves · disorder