Japanese fatsia
Fatsia japonica · Araliaceae
Huge, glossy, deeply lobed leaves like giant hands give a tropical look in shade. Round heads of white flowers on branched stalks appear in late autumn.
- Size
- 6½ ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Mid October to late November
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around Japanese fatsia
The planner designed this bed around Japanese fatsia when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 535 that suit those conditions, and says below why Japanese fatsia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Japanese fatsia × 1, white
- 2 Blue star creeper × 18, blue
- 3 White barrenwort 'Niveum' × 12, white
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 4, purple
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 3, purple
- 6 Rose turtlehead × 8, pink
- 7 Golden ragwort × 11, yellow
- 8 Canada lily × 4, orange
- 9 Winter aconite × 12, yellow
- 10 Snowdrop × 7, white
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only globes. The others are airy sprays, plumes, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Canada lily (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From mid October to late November.
- Closes the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 9 of the 9 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (blue, purple and pink) and uses yellow and orange for warmth, with white to calm things between them. The flowering year starts with winter aconite in late February and ends with Japanese fatsia in late November.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Japanese fatsia goes in a border
At 6½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The boldest evergreen leaf for a shady garden. One plant sets the tone for a whole corner. Set fine-textured ferns and grasses around it for contrast.
- Bold, tropical-looking foliage in shade
- Courtyards and entrances
- Large containers
What to plant with Japanese fatsia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Cast iron plant: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Japanese holly fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about Japanese fatsia
Does Japanese fatsia need sun or shade?
Japanese fatsia grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does Japanese fatsia grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Japanese fatsia flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid October to late November. As an autumn flower it keeps much the same dates in every zone: it answers to shortening days and cool nights more than to the warmth of spring.
| Zone 7 | Mid October to late November |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Mid October to late November |
| Zone 9 | Mid October to late November |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Japanese fatsia be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6½ ft (200 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Japanese fatsia plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Japanese fatsia poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension and the ASPCA.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat Japanese fatsia?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does Japanese fatsia look like in winter?
Japanese fatsia keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is Japanese fatsia good for bees and butterflies?
Japanese fatsia is visited by pollinators.
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants for deep shade
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Plants that flower in fall
- Plants for a white garden
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6½ ft (200 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid October to late November; globes; white
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Araliaceae
- Comes from
- South Korea, Japan to Nansei-shoto
- Attracts
- Pollinators
- Stands up to
- Drought, salt, deep shade, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.