Fatsia japonica – Japanese Aralia (3L Pot)

Fatsia japonica is a bold evergreen shrub with large, glossy, hand shaped leaves that bring a tropical look to shade.

The leaves are the point of this plant. Each one is large, deep green, high gloss and split into seven or nine finger like lobes, held on stout upright stems. Nothing else that is properly hardy gives you that much leaf in a dark corner, which is why it turns up in so many courtyard and town gardens.

In late autumn, rounded heads of creamy white flowers open at the tips of the shoots. They are one of the last real nectar sources of the year for bees and hoverflies, and small round black berries follow them and hold on into spring.

Fatsia does its best work in partial or full shade, which is exactly where most gardens have a gap. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun, which scorches the leaves, and the variegated forms most of all. It is hardy across most of Britain, and although a hard frost can mark the big leaves the plant normally shoots away again in spring. It takes coastal wind, grows well in a large pot on a shaded patio, and will live indoors in a cool, bright room out of direct sun.

Supplied in a 3 litre pot, grown in peat free compost in Yorkshire, well rooted and ready to plant. Pruning is rarely needed; cut out any damaged growth in spring and mulch around the base to hold moisture. The berries and leaves are harmful if eaten.

Cultural Information

• Common Name: Japanese aralia, glossy leaf paper plant
• Fully Grown Height and Spread: About 1m tall and 1m wide in ten years
• Growth Habit: Upright, bushy, spreading evergreen shrub
• Perfect For: Shaded borders, courtyards, containers and architectural planting
• Foliage: Large, glossy, deeply lobed palmate leaves held all year
• Flowering Time: Autumn into early winter, followed by black berries that hold into spring
• Planting Position: Partial shade or full shade, out of hot afternoon sun. Also grown indoors in a cool, bright room
• Soil Type: Moist, well drained, fertile soil
• Hardiness: Hardy across most of Britain. Hard frost can mark the leaves
• Maintenance: Low. Trim out damaged growth in spring
• Seasonal Interest: Evergreen structure all year, autumn flowers and winter berries
• Type: Hardy evergreen shrub