Japanese and Chinese Plants for the Shade

I'm loading up on Asian woodlanders for the shade this year. Many gardeners are aware of the many shared genera between the East Coast of Japan and China and the East Coast of the United States, and these plants are becoming incredibly popular because of how easily they fit into our climate and gardening conditions here. I really enjoy collecting some of these plants, and more and more new ones come out each year.

There are Japanese Actaeas, Japanese Asarums, Japanese Aconites, tons of Japanese and Chinese Arisaemas, a beautiful Japanese Jeffersonia called Jeffersonia dubia, and the list goes on and on. I know I talked to a few people last year about their enthusiasm for these plants, and I was wondering if anyone had picked up any interesting Asian plants for the shadier parts of the garden this spring or last fall that they'd like to share.

-Greg

I'll start with a new Arisaema I got from Asiatica nursery, Arisaema serratum var. mayebarae. Some of the prices at Asiatica are jaw-dropping, but the owner of the place (Barry Yinger) must be an incredible gardener (and adventurer) because he always seems to have tons of new plants. Other favorite nurseries of mine for Asian plants are Lazy S in Virginia, Munchkin in Indiana, and Blanchette Gardens here in Massachusetts, but it seems like most shade nurseries around here have gotten in on the act and have at least a few really nice Asian plants that grow well in this climate.

Here's a second year Arisaema thunbergii var. urashima-so I picked up on the cheap as a seedling at a local nursery. Not ready to flower yet, but thriving.

This is a bad picture of a beautiful plant, Synelesis aconitifolia. I'll get a better picture tomorrow as they have opened up a bit more, but this plant does not look like it should be hardy in Massachusetts! It sends up a ridiculously tall stringy whip of a flower in early summer that is quite funny to look at.

This is Japanese Monkshood, Aconitum japonicum. It can be grown in the sun with plenty of moisture, but mine likes it in the cool woodland shade. It has very nice bluish/violet flowers in the late summer and early fall.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this in one of the big homecenters pretty soon. It is the Korean Rock Fern which many people have already discovered. Some early references said that zone 6 would be pushing it, but it seems to be hardier than expected, and this one emerged early and has been filling out very nicely for me in the deep shade, where the young fronds glow with a kind of chalky greenness.

This one probably won't be turning up at the home improvement shops anytime soon, but a lot of specialty nurseries are carrying it now. This is the so-called "Chinese Hydrangea", Deinanthe caerula. It has beautiful foliage, and I am looking forward to the unusual flowers in the summer. They look like this: http://www.frost-burgwedel.de/pages/bilder/deinanthe_caerula_eb.jpg

Greg, nice plants. If you don't already have it you need to get an Arisaema ringens planted in your gardens. We have an assortment of the Arisaemas planted in our gardens A. ringens multiplies quickly and is huge - one of ours is now 3 feet tall and has at least 5-7 flowers. Arisaema sikokianum is still my favorite though, purchased my first at New England Wildflower Society 10 years ago and had to dig it up and bring it with me when I moved to Virginia. Even though it doesn't multiply rapidly, you can't beat the flower in the spring.

Here's a pic of one of the A. ringens in the gardens last year.

And a close-up of the flowers - last summer the largest one was the size of my fist!

Not sure where this picture came from, but it will give you an idea of how stunning the A. sikokianum flowers are. There is also one form with silver variegation on the leaves that is worth the extra $5.00 they usually charge for it.

We've seen this Arisaema growing in gardens where it also grows to about 3' tall and the white of the flower is the size of a golf ball!

This message was edited May 24, 2006 6:03 AM

how about a leopard spot plant

Wonderful pics. There are some beauties out there!

I just purchased my first Arisaema this year. Can't Wait to get it in the garden

Kelly

Hello greg!
I'm surprised to know Asian/Japanese plants are popular in U.S.A.
I'll sent some pictures of my plants for you. All of them are good for shade garden. Please collect many Asian/Japanese plants for years to come:)
Saxifraga fortunei var. incisolobata

Aceriphyllum rossii Aceriphyllum

Leopard plant

Bletilla striata

Pinellia cordata

gold,

Oh, gorgeous pics and plants. I'm having a bout of zone envy here now

Inteesting thread - there are some fantastic plant in this range. I had Jeffersonia dubia but lost it but it is a gorgeous plant. Would love an arisaema - that sikokianum is outstanding. I've just aquired an asarum maximum. What about hepatica, nomocharis, paris and podophyllum? Good luck!

This shows the patterned-leaf sikokianum (this is actually a seedling; I've got about a hundred seedlings from a patterned-leaf parent, and about a third have the same leaves).
Don

Thank you all for sharing the photos. Plants are stunning!

I am farther north, 5a, and thought those plants where off of my zone, untill I saw one native Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphylum) under a large hosta. Last year as part of my go natural program, I stopped raking the leaves under the oaks, and, I am sure coninsidentally, I saw native Jack in the pulpit poping out in all odd places this spring. They must have been there all the time but dormant or too young to notice.

Now I even have a concern: could Jacks be agressive? They spilled over into the naturalized ravine on the north-east side of the house, which has not been disturbed for 40 years. That's where trilliums (Trillium grandiphlorum) form a carpet. It is sort of local attraction.

Of cause in my own yard, I want more Arisaemas now and different. I think, I found a perfect home for them now - my shaded problem area under a 60% slope - a perfect shelter from the wind and sun. My first additions are:
- Green dragon (Arisaema triphylum)
- Japanese Cobra Lily (Arisaema ringens)
Keeping my fingures cross till next spring.

So far I found 2 sources for Arisaemas: Asiatica Nursery and Plant Delights Nursery. Any other good sources?

This is Jeffersonia dubia; it is done blooming, but you can see the beautiful, reddish rim on the foliage. It really is a beauty.

zonedenial,
It was the hardest 'no' I said to myself this year. I was eyeing the patterned-leaf sikokianum at the Plant Delights Nursery, but at $35 (1/ 4 of what I can spend yearly on plants at this point) and not much experience with Arisaema I simply could not make another decision. It is at the top of my list for the next year. I wish I could trade for it...

By the way, I read a recent thread on your garden. Your zone denial garden is my inspiration now.

Enya... just keep plugging away, and before you know it, you've got plants coming out of your ears.
Greg... if I lived in your benign climate, Asiatica would break me!
Here's Arisaema consanguineum:

Don't skip the Spotted Leopard Plant - or Farfugium (previously the ligularia) that was suggested by our friend from Japan. The one that is pictured is an Argentea - they are hard to find here but worth it. There is a strange and wonderful one called Lunar Landing at Forest Farm Nursery - plant delights also carry these but they are more expensive there.
http://www.forestfarm.com/search/search.asp?aPage=1&index=genus&field-keywords=farfugium&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

The Chinese Mayapple and it's different forms is interesting too.
http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/cgi-bin/searchall.pl

And Rohdea
http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/cgi-bin/searchstuff.pl?Botanical=Rohdea
Which they also have at Asiatica - but in the $50-$150 range. Also Plant Delights carry them, but for $10.00 you can buy a plain green one at
http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/cgi-bin/searchstuff.pl?Botanical=Rohdea

Goldenfish - are Rohdeas really this expensive in Japan?

Arisaema flavum:

and, four foot tall heterophyllum:

zone,

Now,,,I Really have a case of zone envy,,,those are absolutely Gorgeous. I better stop looking at the pics,,,lol

Podophyllum veitchii (hopefully I'm not starting to induce gagging):

Rick, I do have an A. ringens. Some nasty critter cut its leaf stalk down last year and this year's leaves are smaller than they were last year. It plugs on, though. I meant to purchase a sikokianum yesterday when I went to one of the better nurseries around here, but it had yet to show growth, and the owner won't sell with no growth. It is at the top of my list though.

Golden, Yes Asian plants are very popular, and seem to be getting more popular every year. When I discovered them, it expanded the options for my garden immensely, so I do plan to collect as many as will fit in my garden. Please keep the pictures coming!

and Podophyllum pleianthum

Here is Pinellia pedatisecta beginning to bloom in my garden.

and... Glaucidium palmatum, which I've always thought is a weensy bit overrated; it's nice but not a plant that defines your life or something.
Greg: that's a nice pinellia; very arisaema-like!
Don

Don, They say it is being sold in the market as A. dractontium quite a bit and they call it Green Dragon in the trade. The leaf structure is quite a bit different, though. The aroid society has some nice pictures of a mature plant. Mine is still a bit of a baby.

http://www.aroid.org/gallery/kozminski/Pinellia/pedatisecta.html

Here's another shot of the same plant. It looks bigger than it really is in this picture, though.

Here is a slightly better picture of my Synelesis aconitifolia. I apologize for the glare; it is raining and this plant never seems to care to have its picture taken.

Greg: Pinellia back to you; Pinellia tripartita atropurpurea. I really like this genus; they stay in bloom for a very long time.

Beautiful flower on that one, Don. Mine is the "plain-old" green version...... another aroid to add to the list!

This is the most exciting thread I've followed in a while. So many choices of Asiatic exautics for my zone! Indivitual plant shots are stunning. Would you consider posting some that would frame the plant and show the companion plants?


I am working on a shade garden on the north side of my house. That's where I'd like to incoporate Arisaemas and Asarums with hostas and ferns. I just got my Arisaema dracontium and am thinking of companion plants. It is native so I am not pushing zones yet :)