Petasites japonicus 'Variegatus'

This alternate Japanese Petasites Variegatus is a perennial rhizomatous plant that vigorously trails in shaded areas and humid environments. Its globular flower heads resting on a collar of pale green bracts, elongate into spikes adorned with small cream, scented heads in spring before the foliage appears. Then large dentate leaves, light green, marbled with cream, with undulated edges, appear, exceeding 1 m (3ft) in diameter. It is interesting to bring a little luxuriance and light to a large garden's shaded and inhospitable wet areas, but its tendency to spread should be contained. This plant likes humus-rich soils and dislikes scorching sun.

The Japanese Petasites is a plant native to China, Korea, and Japan. The Japanese Petasites form a vigorously spreading tuft reaching 50 to 120 cm (20 to 47in) but spreading without theoretical limit over time through its robust trailing rhizome—the plant blooms in March-April before the leaves appear. Emerging from grey leaves, flower heads emerge from the ground, carried by a leafy stem, with alternate, elongated, pointed, sessile leaves that are very different from the large basal leaves appearing after flowering. The flower head is shaped like an oval and compact cluster, 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10in) tall. It consists of small female or male heads gathered in panicles. The pale green and white flowers, surrounded by pale green bracts 1 cm (0in) in diameter, exhale a sweet scent reminiscent of honey. The basal foliage, deciduous, appears later. It consists of large kidney-shaped leaves with rounded, veined, undulated edges, reaching a diameter of 0.5 to over 1 m (3ft). Their colour is a silky greyish green on the upper side. They are bordered by a more or less toothed margin and are attached to the rhizome by a long petiole consumed as a vegetable in Japan.

The Variegated Japanese Petasites is a fast-growing plant, useful for adding a lush touch to the boundaries of a very large garden, covering a ditch, a fresh rockery, or a very humid understory that has been neglected. It will release its fragrance even in the garden's more "civilised" areas and brighten a slightly dark corner. However, care must be taken to ensure that it does not exceed the allotted limits, as it ignores the boundaries of the terrain and the rules of civility between neighbours. Since it loves humidity and dislikes the sun, one can try to contain it effortlessly by creating a dry rockery in its path, where the sun prevails over the shade. It can be paired with Lysichitons, Marsh Irises, and Solomon's Seals, but also with well-established peonies.