Fatsia japonica.
Autumn and winter in the garden can be as interesting as spring and summer. Here are some plants that I recommend for autumn and winter interest that will offer colour and contrast through the cold, dull winter months.
Fatsia japonica
This is an evergreen upright shrub that produces the most magnificent glossy, palmate leaves in mid to dark green, which can reach 14-18inches across. White flowers start to appear on this plant in mid October in panicles, 10-18inches long, composed of rounded umbels, 1-2inches wide. Fatsia will thrive in any reasonable garden soil in a sheltered position, in full sun or shade. They are an excellent plant to grow in a town or city garden, often softening and complimenting hard landscaping and buildings. Fatsia offer fantastic shelter for hedgehogs, as I found out recently in my garden, when I discovered a sleeping hedgehog curled up in a nest of dried leaves and paper, under the cover of the leaves of a mature Fatsia. The glossy leaves were keeping the nest dry during heavy rainfall – a snug home for one of the gardeners best friends.
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