Leopard plant
Farfugium japonicum · Asteraceae
Big, round, glossy, leathery leaves like lily pads on stalks, evergreen in mild climates, with yellow daisies in late autumn.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early October to early November
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around leopard plant
The planner designed this bed around leopard plant when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 7, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 535 that suit those conditions, and says below why leopard plant stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Leopard plant × 3, yellow
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 3, tan
- 3 Lungwort × 5, blue
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 4, pink
- 5 Rose turtlehead × 3, pink
- 6 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 10, white
Why this plant
- The only daisies. The others are spires, dense clusters, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is the step between moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front and rose turtlehead (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Bold leaf against fine. Inkberry 'Gem Box' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early October to early 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: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Something is in flower for 36 weeks, from early March to early November. Moor grass 'Greenlee' and lungwort finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where leopard plant goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
The roundest, shiniest leaf in the shade garden, an ideal foil for ferns and grasses. It wilts dramatically when dry and recovers when watered; steady moisture keeps it handsome.
- Bold foliage for shade in warm regions
- Beside water
- Containers
What to plant with leopard plant
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; medium leaves against its bold ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Japanese holly fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after.
- Mondo grass: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about leopard plant
Does leopard plant need sun or shade?
Leopard plant 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. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does leopard plant 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 leopard plant flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early October to early 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 | Early October to early November |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Early October to early November |
| Zone 9 | Early October to early 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 leopard plant be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many leopard plant plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is leopard plant poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like leopard plant?
Leopard plant comes from Southern China to Temp. Eastern Asia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Red baneberry: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to late May, white, not yellow.
- Wild geranium: the same job in a bed; 4 in shorter, flowers early May to late May.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat leopard plant?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after leopard plant?
Leopard plant is over by early November. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Christmas rose 'Jacob': from late November to late December, 10 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Mahonia 'Soft Caress': from early November to late December, 4 ft tall.
What does leopard plant look like in winter?
Leopard plant 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.
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Evergreen perennials, ferns and grasses
- Plants that flower in fall
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early October to early November; daisies; yellow
- Leaves
- Bold texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Southern China to Temp. Eastern Asia
- Stands up to
- Deer, wet soil, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.