Chris is a gardening writer and nature enthusiast. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with an MA in Psychology. Chris works with the Leeds Green Action Society, helping their food cooperative by growing various fruit and vegetables on their two allotments in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
IN THIS GUIDE
- 1) Japanese Banana
- 2) Plantain Lily
- 3) Elephant Ear / Taro
- 4) Chinese Rice Paper Plant
- 5) Angel’s Trumpet
- 6) Giant Rhubarb
- 7) Giant Butterbur
- 8) Umbrella Plant
- 9) Broussa Mullein
- 10) Greater Sea Kale
- 11) Siberian Bugloss
- 12) Chusan Palm
- 13) Castor Oil Plant
- 14) Leopard Plant
- 15) Canna Lily
- Create your own tropical paradise
As gardeners, we spend a lot of our time investing ourselves in growing and caring for flowering plants.
We’re also prone to forget that many other impactful plants deserve to be included in our gardens.
If you are looking to add structure and texture to your garden, or want to create a more tropical or jungle-like theme, then choosing large leaf foliage plants is just what the doctor ordered.
Foliage plants with large leaves are attention-grabbing and can really make a statement, bringing a luscious, exotic feel to your garden.
If you have a small garden, don’t feel like you are going to be left out, there are plenty of options that will make a significant impact in a more modest-sized garden and allow you to play around with scale.
“Large-leaved plants provide a lush feel to gardens and, combined with some bold coloured foliage and flowers such as dahlias, cannas and crocosmias, you can feel like you are in a different country,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“This can be achieved with pots in small spaces as well as in plants in the ground in larger spaces.”
Because these plants are so often overlooked, you may find it tricky to know which ones to choose for your garden, so we’ve put together a list of our favourites to help you narrow it down.
Now that you’ve decided your garden needs the bold boost that large foliage plants provide, it’s time to have a look at which ones would be right for your garden.
Here is a list of our top contenders to inspire you and help you get started –
1) Japanese Banana
- BOTANICAL NAME: MUSA BASJOO
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 4M x 2M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED
With a majestic plant like this in your garden, guests could be forgiven for thinking they’ve just stepped right onto the set of A Jungle Book.
This tropical treasure produces huge, elegant leaves and will occasionally reward you with bunches of bananas.
Best planted between spring and autumn, the banana plant can grow to up to 4m in height. Plant in well-drained soil in a sheltered spot that gets plenty of sunshine.
This jumbo, jungly plant should be pruned in spring and, once established, should be fed and watered generously to help it achieve the best foliage.
Though these are tender plants, some varieties can cope with being left outside over winter, especially if you live in a milder part of the UK.
2) Plantain Lily
- BOTANICAL NAME: HOSTA
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 1M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: PART SHADE; SHELTERED
This popular and powerful plant is loved by gardeners and is typically grown for its fantastic foliage.
There is a vast variety to choose from with the colours of leaves ranging from green to blue, to vibrant yellow.
The size of their leaves also varies with some up to 40cm in length.
Lots of hostas also produce purple or white flowers in the summer months.
Hostas are super easy to grow and display gorgeous foliage from spring to autumn and with good care will last for many years.
Best planted in spring or autumn in moist soil, hostas love the shade so find them a spot that is out of the sun.
Hostas are very low maintenance but, once established, make sure their soil is always slightly damp and they may require additional watering in dry spells.
The main thing to be aware of is that slugs absolutely cannot resist hostas so be prepared to research ways to protect your plants and repel the invading slugs.
3) Elephant Ear / Taro
- BOTANICAL NAME: COLOCASIA
- PLANT TYPE: EVERGREEN PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H1B
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: PART SHADE; SHELTERED
This exotic beauty produces colossal, heart-shaped, deep green leaves and there are plenty of reasons to include them in your garden.
They are brilliant to use as ground-cover or to provide an attractive, textured backdrop to other plants.
They are also perfect to use as edging plants for ponds or surrounding your patio.
Elephant ear plants are easy to grow and once established, require very little attention.
Plant the bulbs in rich, moist soil in partial sun – the tubers should be planted in the garden after the threat of frost has diminished.
During dry spells, we recommend that you water more regularly and you may also wish to use fertiliser.
Elephant ear will not stand a chance against freezing temperatures so if you live in an area that experiences harsh winters, you should carefully dig the plant up and overwinter it indoors.
4) Chinese Rice Paper Plant
- BOTANICAL NAME: Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’
- PLANT TYPE: SHRUB
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 6M x 6M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED
If you want to introduce this gargantuan plant to your garden, this is the one.
Its leaves alone can grow up to 60cm in length, with the plant growing up to 4m in height with a spread of up to 2.5m.
This humongous, hardy evergreen has gorgeous green leaves and produces cream coloured flowers in autumn.
The Chinese rice paper plant can be grown year-round and should be planted in sun or partial shade, in moist, well-drained soil and in a spot where it will be well protected from cold winds.
We also recommend providing a deep layer of mulch during the winter months.
Once established these plants are super easy to care for, just keep them well watered and be sure to provide a well-balanced fertiliser throughout springtime.
As far as pruning goes just be sure to remove the leaves when they get scruffy and if you wish, you can cut back in late-winter to your desired size.
These are an absolutely ideal plant for an exotic styled garden and will provide texture and structure to your garden.
5) Angel’s Trumpet
- BOTANICAL NAME: Brugmansia
- PLANT TYPE: SHRUB
- HARDINESS RATING: H1C
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 4M x 2M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED
Also known as Brugmansia, this plant is a perfect addition to any jumbo jungle-themed garden.
Angel’s trumpet sports gorgeous foliage and create a tropical spectacle with their glorious, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom from summer to autumn.
Brugmansias should be planted in containers individually and placed in a warm, sheltered area in partial shade.
These plants dislike dry conditions and should be watered and fed frequently during summer.
They really don’t tolerate the cold well so we highly recommend that you move them inside during the winter months.
Angel’s trumpet is a head turner so make sure you place them in a focal point so everyone can enjoy their exquisite beauty and grace.
6) Giant Rhubarb
- BOTANICAL NAME: Gunnera manicata
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2.5M x 4M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN / PART SHADE
7) Giant Butterbur
- BOTANICAL NAME: Petasites japonicus
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 1.5M x 8M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SHADE / PART SHADE
8) Umbrella Plant
- BOTANICAL NAME: Darmera peltata
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 1M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN / PART SHADE
9) Broussa Mullein
- BOTANICAL NAME: Verbascum bombyciferum
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN
10) Greater Sea Kale
- BOTANICAL NAME: Crambe cordifolia
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2M x 1.5M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN / PART SHADE
11) Siberian Bugloss
- BOTANICAL NAME: Brunnera macrophylla
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 0.5M x 0.5M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SHADE / PART SHADE
12) Chusan Palm
- BOTANICAL NAME: Trachycarpus fortunei
- PLANT TYPE: PALM TREE
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2.5M x 10M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN / PART SHADE
13) Castor Oil Plant
- BOTANICAL NAME: Ricinus communis ‘Carmencita’
- PLANT TYPE: SHRUB
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2.5M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN
14) Leopard Plant
- BOTANICAL NAME: LIGULARIA
- PLANT TYPE: HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 2.5M x 1M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED
15) Canna Lily
- BOTANICAL NAME: CANNA
- PLANT TYPE: TENDER PERENNIAL
- HARDINESS RATING: H3
- TYPICAL HEIGHT / SPREAD: 1.5M x 0.5M
- PREFERRED ASPECT: FULL SUN; SHELTERED
Create your own tropical paradise
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed learning about our five favourite large leaf foliage plants.
As you can imagine, there are thousands of plants to choose from, all with different attributes, so you’ve got plenty of options to bring your garden up to your exact specification.
These plants can help to showcase your flowers and will add a dynamic depth to your garden refuge.
Be sure to research your plants before planting; some can grow to enormous scales so it’s essential to confirm that you have adequate space for them to thrive.
Growing such large plants can be a bit daunting at first but they will help to boost your garden to boastful and splendid levels.
Be bold, be brave, be extra, and give your garden that boastful, brilliant, exotic look that you’ve been dreaming of.
