We have been collecting aspidistra species for many years and now have over 100 different cast iron plant clones, including many species new to science. We are testing and building up inventory, so expect more new aspidistra selections each season. There are few plants more tolerant of deer and dry shade in the woodland garden than aspidistra. A great pastime for truly boring people is to watch for the unusual aspidistra flowers that appear on the surface of the soil underneath the canopy.
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Aspidistra plants come by their common name, cast Iron plant, honestly. Aspidistra plants are extremely tough dry shade plants. Once established, aspidistra plants are extremely tolerant of drought and neglect. As house plants, there are amazingly durable and can be used as long-lasting foliage in floral arrangements.
Plant Delights Nursery has one of the best collections of aspidistra for sale in the United States, so when you are ready to buy a cast iron plant, we'll be glad to help. We occasionally rotate our aspidistra selections, so if you do not see the one you want, read our monthly email newsletter for updates or check our website periodically.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This Crug Farm collection comes from Tungpu, Taiwan, where it forms dense colonies in the well-drained forest soil. The dark evergreen leaves, highlighted with a few small yellow spots, reach 40" tall x 3" wide. This is certainly the tallest cast iron plant we have grown to date, but one that you will certainly grow for the showy flowers. The stunning 2" creamy yellow flowers with peach centers magically appear en masse during early March atop the soil surface. They resemble plates of sauteed starfish among the base of the leaves...fascinating. At 8 degrees F, the old foliage burned off, but the plants regrew nicely in spring. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(aka: Aspidistra GS form 1) We are pleased to offer a newly-recognized aspidistra species (soon to be published) originally shared with us by the late plantsman, Greg Speichert who obtained the plant from the Nanjing Botanic Garden. Aspidistra basalis has been a great garden plant here for over a decade, during which time it has formed a nice 4' wide patch of very dark glossy green, 30" tall x 1.5" wide leaves. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This soon-to-be published new Chinese species, which we originally offered as A. fimbriata, makes a clump of 2-3" wide pendent-tipped leaves that can reach a length of more than 2'. The very dark green foliage is nicely highlighted by large yellow spots. Aspidistra crispa has survived 12 degrees F in our garden, but with some leaf burn. If you watch around the base of the stalks in October, you will notice what appears to be small, shriveled reddish prunes with the tops severed off...that's what you get for flowers...a great gag gift for the pansy and petunia crowd. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This cast iron plant is the real Milky Way cast iron plant...not the non-striped mutation everyone calls Aspidistra 'Milky Way'. Aspidistra elatior 'Amanogawa' (Milky Way) makes a tight clump of 18" tall x 2" wide dark green leaves, each heavily spotted with creamy yellow among the longitudinal creamy white and yellow stripes. You'll need a GPS to navigate your way around these contrasting leaf patterns. Occasional sports without stripes should be removed to keep the integrity of the cultivar intact. We doubt this will be hardy much below 15 degrees F, so use this as a container specimen in cold climates. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
"Asahi" means "morning sun"...a descriptive name for this dramatic cast iron plant that always stops visitors in their tracks. The green leaves, to 30" long x 5" wide, are set off when the upper third of the leaves turns a dramatic white as the season progresses. The color holds all winter, making a dramatic winter feature in the shade garden. For a dry deep-shade area, there isn't a better choice for a tough-as-nails perennial! Note: Aspidistra 'Asahi' will not display its color pattern if planted in a small container. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This selection of Aspidistra elatior from Florida is a particularly nice, wide-leaf, solid dark green selection with 3' tall x 5" wide foliage...great where either an evergreen mass planting or single specimen is needed. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This superb selection of Aspidistra elatior forms a commanding clump in the garden with its 3' tall x 5" wide, glossy, dark green leaves. Each leaf is composed of an 18" stalk topped with an 18" blade which is highlighted with narrow, central creamy-yellow streaks and a very narrow white border at the tip. According to our friend Barry Yinger, the 'Fuji No Mine' means "crags on Mt. Fuji"...we'll take his word. This has been a great performer in our garden trials. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We are pleased to introduce this fabulous new aspidistra from Robin Lennon of Central Florida Foliage. Each 2' tall x 4" wide dark green leaf is heavily speckled with yellow flecks. The tight clump makes a stunning accent in a dark part of the garden or in a container in climates not yet affected by global warming. According to Al Gore, this should be hardy in central Canada in the next few years, so get yours now. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
If you're looking for a bold textured evergreen to help brighten a dark corner of the garden, we've got just the plant. This old Japanese cultivar (whose name means "starry skies") of cast iron plant has large, 30" tall x 6" wide, dark green leaves that are lightly speckled with small light yellow-to-white dots (stars). Like a fine wine, our 14-year-old clumps just get better with age. This is the hardiest of the yellow-spotted cast iron plants. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This cast iron plant cultivar was shared with us by Robin Lennon of Florida's Central Florida Foliage, where he discovered it in his cut foliage fields. The evergreen foliage looks like the common Aspidistra elatior, except the leaves are about half the normal width. Each 2' tall clump gives a more dramatic accent than the common, wider leaf clone. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This cultivar was shared with us by Robin Lennon of Florida's Central Florida Foliage, who discovered it in his cut foliage fields. The dark green foliage is narrow, but with an irregular central band of muted yellow...essentially a narrow-leaf version of Aspidistra 'Akebono'. Aspidistra elatior 'Lennon's Song' is perfect where a narrow and vertical accent is needed in the shade garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: A. elatior 'Variegata') Aspidistra 'Okame' is one of the most asked about cast iron plants in our garden, but we haven't had enough to offer for years...until now. The 30" tall, dark green upright leaves are highlighted with dramatic vertical white stripes...think a milk truck spill. In the deep South, this slowly expanding clumper makes a nice bold evergreen accent, even in dark shade. Toward the northern end of the range, it may suffer from winter burn, which is easily relieved by a spring haircut. The bizarre flowers resembling a dwarf pepperoni pizza occur at the leaf base in very early spring. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This little-known Japanese selection of the Chinese Aspidistra elatior forms an evergreen clump of 2' tall x 3.5" wide dark green leaves, each spotted with small yellow dots and dashes with a bit of faint white streaking toward the leaf tip. Each leaf, which has dramatically raised veins on the front, is composed of a 6" petiole and a 18" leaf blade. 'Sei Ryu Ho' is Japanese for "green dragon hall" or in street slang...nappy-headed Don Imus. This made it through our 2008/9 winter in the upper single digits. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Aspidistra elatior 'Spek-tacular' is a stunning new selection of cast iron plant, purchased at a flower market in Sichuan, China by our friend, Linda Guy and first introduced commercially in 2012 by Plant Delights. Aspidistra 'Spek-tacular' makes an attractive clump of 40" long dark green leaves with arching tips. Each evergreen leaf is adorned with the most abundant yellow spotting of any clone of Aspidistra elatior that we've ever seen. The evergreen 30" tall clumps look great all season, adding a wonderful bold texture to the woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This old but little-known Japanese cultivar forms a clump of 36" long x 4" wide medium green leaves, each streaked with creamy yellow and then sprinkled with a few random white dots...certainly far more stripes than stars. Aspidistra 'Stars and Stripes' is a patriotic way to add year-round interest to a woodland garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Aspidistra sp. Hainan #1) This Nick Turland selection of Aspidistra fimbriata hails from 2,800' elevation in Daioluo Shan, Hainan China, where it resided underneath a forest of Dacrydium and other Fagaceae trees. Aspidistra fimbriata 'Secret Stalker' has the tallest stalks of any cast iron plant we grow. The 3' tall foliage includes a stalk of 20" topped by a 16" tall x 3" wide medium green leaf blade. At 8 degrees F the plants burned to the ground but returned in spring. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
(syn: Aspidistra sp. Hainan #3) This attractive cast iron plant hails from 2800' elevation in a Hainan, China dacrydium/Fagaceae forest, and represents a newly named species. The 30" long leaves are composed of a 1' long petiole topped with an 18" long leaf blade. The medium green leaf blade, which arches at the tip, is heavily adorned with large creamy yellow spots...a splendid way to lighten a dark area. For us, this has survived 9 degrees F in the ground but the foliage is regularly burned to the ground in winter. In climates with winters below 15 degrees F, we recommend it as a houseplant or as a gift to friends in warmer climates. Thanks to plantsman Nick Turland for sharing this with us. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This newly-named species was discovered by NC plantsman, Alan Galloway, on Hong Kong's Lantau Island. The narrow 15" tall x 0.75" wide light green leaves are lightly speckled yellow. Although we have had this planted outdoors since 2002, it burns to the ground each winter and would really prefer a home in Florida or a cozy corner indoors. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This represents a Chinese collection from Japanese plant collector Mikinori Ogisu. We originally received it as Aspidistra cf. omeiense, but it was later determined to be Aspidistra hainanensis. This cast iron plant looks more like a wide-leaf clump of upright liriope than an aspidistra, so use it to fool all of your gardening friends. In our trials, Aspidistra hainanensis has shown no damage at 9 degrees F...a nice evergreen feature in the shade garden. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From our friend Jim Waddick comes one of the most unique and little-known Chinese species of cast iron plant, discovered in 1977. In foliage, Aspidistra hainanensis looks more like a daylily or liriope than an aspidistra. The 2' long x 0.5" wide leaves make a very tight clump, unlike other cast iron plant species. A single plant of Aspidistra hainanensis makes a wonderful, evergreen textural specimen for the woodland garden. For us, it has survived 6 degrees F with slight foliage damage. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
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