I’ve been working from home today so took the chance for a stroll round the Musa acres. I noticed that the Fatsia japonica shrub has started to flower and how intricate the blooms are.
Above: Fatsia japonica flowers
Fatsia japonica is also sometimes known as the False Castor Oil Plant (the real Castor Oil Plant is Ricinus communis). It is a well known houseplant as well as a garden shrub. It has very large, lobed, glossy, leathery leaves and is evergreen. It hails from Japan and flowers, in my garden, in November with creamy-white balls or umbels of flowers, these are followed by black fruits.
The most useful thing about Fatsia japonica is that it grows well in full shade and is perfectly hardy. I’ve grown mine for the past 10 years on the north side of a high fence and in the shade of a large fir tree. It is now about 6ft high and I doubt if anything much else would grow in such deep shade and the poor, dry soil caused by the tree roots. True, it does suffer a bit from the poor soil and lack of moisture, I do try and give it a mulch of compost and the occasional watering in the summer.
Above, Fatsia japonica in my garden, November 2010
I think I will try and give it a bit more care and attention next year as it is a fine plant that looks quite tropical. The appearance of my plant is rather marred by the splashes of bird poo on the leaves, the overhanging fir tree has a large population of birds including doves.
Below: a couple more images of Fatsia japonica taken today:
I love this plant and it does well here in AZ....however I have them in pots and not in the ground. Thanks for the post:)
ReplyDeleteHi, Mine is planted in very poor soil, I might try growing one in a better place.
ReplyDeleteI've been looking at your blog - its really good and looks very professional. I'm going to read more of it and must find out what sort of climate you have in Arizona, I was looking today at Google Earth, you live in a very sparsly populated place!
I have just bought this plant for an ideal spot on a shaded north facing fence but had doubts until I saw this. Will go ahead now and plant! Chris in sunny Suffolk, UK
ReplyDeleteHi Chris in suffolk, I live in Manchester UK and my 2 year old castor oil plant has survived two very severe winters, at the time of this comment it is full of flowers and looks absolutely beautiful. I purchased a second plant last autumn (2010) from a car boot sale for £2 it was a very young plant and I didnt think it would survive last winter but it has grown so big over this summer that I am hoping that it will be as big as my other plant. I don't do anything special to these plants but feed them a couple of times over the summer. d luck with your plant. Joan
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have found your blog because there is one of these growing on our (newly-allotted) allotment and now I know what it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid it's still going to come down, though: I'd rather grow something that we can eat.
thnx!! i have it in my garden but didn't know what it was... so i googled a picture of the leaves and now the secret of my tropical plant is revealed! it's blooming beautifully in the netherlands also!
ReplyDelete