You have Aralia cordata 'Sun King'?

I had been meaning to pick up one of these 'mysterious' plants but it was just yesterday that I spied on at the nursery I was visiting.

There is some 'debate' as to the size this plant will attain.

I would love to hear if anyone here has experience with this plant.

I planted one in early July and just picked up another yesterday.

I am experimenting as to the amount of shade it can handle.

I have one in pretty deep shade. It's been there for about 5yrs.
It's fairly yellow in spring - but I suspect not as much as it would be if it got more sun.
I can't say it's super spectacular.
But to be fair to the plant, I threw it in the midst of a fairly dense jungle.
It's in a peripheral area of the yard I don't pay much attention to.
My idea was to brighten up an otherwise neglected wooded area.
It's holding it's own in pretty rough conditions, but still not very big - just 2-3ft.

Thanks Weerobin for the feedback. The foliage is striking. I have planted two so far...one in lots of shade and the other getting more sun (so an experiment) and I have another one I picked up just yesterday from a nursery that is such a good looking specimen (see picture below) but I have no idea where to put it...no space left.

But I have heard from others that if it is placed appropriately in can reach 5 feet in height.

UPDATE

It has been exactly one year from my last post in this thread and I am very impressed with this plant. The ASK shown in the pot above is right now about 3.5 feet in width and almost 3 feet high. In shade it really does glow. The foliage is picture perfect healthy and it is a vigorous herbaceous plant. It easily made it through this tricky past winter and spring and so it is for sure hardy to zone 4.

I'm so glad to see this. I was tooling around the Munchkin site and saw this plant, and made myself a note. But now I see that knowledgeable people are having success with it, and I am between your zones!

On the list to buy!

It reminds me of comathosphace japonica 'Golden Angel', a japanese shrub mint I got last year from Raulston Arboretum. It really lights up that shady space. I didn't think at first that it would make it but it has been terrific. Pardon the soaker hoses but I tend to baby plants during the first months of installation if installed in summer.

Really punches up those hydrangeas in the third picture!

Hi Donna,

All 3 of my SKing made it through this past epic winter and are growing quickly.

I am looking forward to seeing your results with this wonderful shade plant.

(Coincidentally I plan on obtaining a Japanese Mint of some sort this spring).

Oh and btw one reads that this plant SK requires lots of moisture. It has been my *experience* that this is not the case ie I have many other perennials requiring much more water

I'm so happy that you got back to me! I was thinking about this thread.

To my disappointment my 'Golden Angel' has not broken dormancy. Everything is so late This year that I am still crossing my fingers. It is a zone 4 plant. I did find it wilted without water but always bounced back. I have shrubs that should have bloomed a month and a half ago that are just budding out (a viburnum dentatum and two deutzia Codsall Pink.)

I am actually thinking of replacing it with an aralia - we'll see. Maybe both!!!

This message was edited May 23, 2014 5:28 AM

Donna, I know your plant as leucosceptrum japonica; is comathospace the new name?
Google sure has more hits under leucosceptrum than comathospace...
I generally trust the Raulston arboretum with getting things right,
but I haven't heard anything about reclassifying...
I have Golden Angel and mine is coming up - I have to keep it in reins,
otherwise it wants to take over my yard!

Raulston Arboretum is a hybridizer of plants. They often give me things before they appear in commerce.

Mine has no desire to take over the yard, hence I think it maybe a cultivar designed for just that.

It was given to me as an "extra" plant, and named Comanthosphace japonica ‘Golden Angel’, so unless they correct it, which they haven't, I'm sticking with their name.

Sometimes that happens. Gary Ladman of Classic Viburnums just sent me two new carlesis that he hybridized. They haven't been released to the trade yet - he honored me by making me the first recipient. When I googled them to learn more there was nothing there.

'Donna' et al, here is a picture of one of our 3 ASK. This one is the largest and it is now as big as it was by the end of last season (about 3 feet by 3 feet).

My only concern is that it might be too big for the spot. Otherwises - WOW!

I saw a lovely one at Platt Hill Nursery - but they wanted $40. Since I was in fact there to buy grasses I restrained myself, but with difficulty. (I got three miscanthus 'Morning Light', which at $14.00 a plant for two foot tall ones, seemed cheap. The area I am looking at has oakleaf hydrangeas as well as hydrangea macrophylla. They are thriving, so I think it's a good spot, but it would eat everything else.

I do have one are where it would shine. I had a new macrophylla that didn't make it. The only other thing there is a rose that theoretically tolerates shade, the gallica Charles de Mills, which suckers. It might work!

Oh, just found one on Munchkin Nursery, from which I have ordered before. Fabulous athyrium nipponicum 'Ursula's Red' and bloodroot. His plants mature incredibly fast. He is sold out now, but will have it in the fall, I think. I ordered bloodroot from another company, ordered it from him two years later, and when I dug up the original bulbs his were twice the size.

http://www.munchkinnursery.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=173&bc=no

I have Charles de Mills, theoretically shade tolerant, in a spot that gets about five hours a day and it is healthy but hasn't bloomed well. I will give it more time (it didn't bloom year before last because the rabbits chewed it during the winter, which on a once bloomer means no flowers) so I will have to see.

OK, I have figured out that one place has all my dream plants: Plants Delights:

Thalictrum splendide (who is the wonderful person on one of these treads who showed pictures of this stunner? )I may grow it with Rose Dublin Bay

Aralia Sun King (I have a great open sun/shade space

Japanese shrub mint (where the previous one was)

Thalictrum Black Stockings. It was outcompeted by salvia tesquicola.

The last two were gifts, so shame on me. I think japanese shrub mint cannot be allowed to wilt repeatedly, which it was.

Donna, I am in awe of my "Splendide". Here it is from last summer

Oh, thank you Rogue! I was doing a search of old emails trying to find who it was! I couldn't remember. Thank you for publishing this absolutely delicious plant!

(I'm such a dummy - I should have known it was you! That unique eye and perspective.)

One of my ASK has attained dimensions of 6 feet across by just under 4 feet! Next year I will purposely trim it throughout the season to keep its width in check.
And this time of year it does give forth some smaller "flowers". See here:

I have one that is in a container that I overwintered in garage and I liked it so much I planted one in a new shade garden. The one in the container will come out this fall and be planted in the ground. Neither are anywhere nearly that big. Love them though!

I never considered putting it in a container...I guess it would look something like a coleus...cool.

It is very pretty in a container. Mine sits on a darkish front porch and it glows. I have that and a chelone hot lips in a fairly large container. Both are too crowded so will come out and be planted in the garden soon. I am very happy that it stays that really bright green all the time. I'm hoping the deer don't like either....=(

UPDATE:

As you all know, I love this plant...I have 3 of them! Again they are very hardy, 'spotless' foliage and they just glow in shady locations. Here is one of them as of this week:


This message was edited Jun 15, 2015 4:42 AM

Love SKA and I have two: One in container on porch similar to KimmyCoCoPop, but it did not flower - too dark??? The other in ground; was very healthy until midsummer when it got some sort of disease - root rot??? Anyone have experience with this?