This stunning, big-leafed plant may be the Next Big Thing in garden design.
Maybe it was the plant to finally fill an empty patch of ashady bedin my backyard?
Before making the leap, though, I needed to do my homework.
Credit:Leonardo Marino / Getty Images
Lee Gray
What are Giant Leopard Plants?
It comes from Japan, where it grows in shady spots along stream banks and in coastal areas.
In late summer and fall, it sports small, yellow, daisy-like flowers.
The plant’s dark green glossy leaves contrast well with lighter foliage tones, creating depth in planting palettes, says landscape designer Lee Gray, who used the plant in a green-on-green Australian courtyard.Credit:Lee Gray
Yep, I was one of those people.
Big foliage creates calming spaces.
But rarely do those yellow flowers seem to show up in the landscapes I’ve seen.
In a container, giant leopard plants' rounded leaves balance the sword-like foliage of New Zealand flax.
Personally, I remove the flower stalk as it emerges, says Grubb.
The plant definitely does not need the silly yellow flower.
What giant leopard plants wont forgive is direct afternoon sun, which causes them to burn and collapse.
“Farfugium japonicum is a gorgeous statement plant that adds legible form and texture to a garden,” says landscape designer Rosemary Harris of Word + Carr, who used the plant in this verdant Austin, Texas, garden.
And for a sun-loving plant that also makes a visual splash, Grubb likeselephant’s ears.
The plants do well under the shade of an awning, as in this design by Daniel Nolan for Flora Grubb Gardens.
The designers at Soft Studio used the plant to bring “a sense of lushness and whimsy” to the entrance of this California backyard sauna.
The rounded forms of giant leopard plant and topiary conifers make for a bold border in this garden by landscape design firm Secret Gardens.Credit:Secret Gardens
