Farfugium japonicum

Description

Farfugium japonicum the ‘Crested Leopard’ plant from Japan is the parent of many varieties of this attractive herbaceous perennial. Closely resembling the larger Farfugium japonicum ‘Giganteum’ it can be recogonised by in dense leafy habit usually to around 40cm high with rounded slightly dagged edged leaves being 10-15cm in diameter. Generally freer flowering than it’s cultivars the spikes of orange daisy like flowers are produced from mid to late summer. A really useful plant for planting underneath larger exotic jungly plants where it creates a dense leafy understory. Found in its native Japanese habitat growing on the banks of streams and ditches.

Farfugium japonicum requires minimum maintenance, like most perennials it will benefit from occasional top dressings of fertilizer and an annual mulch of good compost in the Autumn or Winter. Being largely an evergreen I generally prune in late spring to tidy up Winter damaged leaves. I’d also recommend if you live in colder parts of the U.K a little protection from severe weather such as snow would be beneficial, a straw mulch on top of the leaves to protect the crowns.