Aspidistra Milky Way - Cast-Iron Plant

Aspidistra eliator 'Milky Way' is a charming selection of a more compact but tall Aspidistra, which will seduce with its finer foliage, completely speckled with small white spots like the Milky Way. An excellent indoor plant, it is also a very good garden plant for shade, even in dry conditions. Over time, this rhizomatous perennial forms a remarkable evergreen ground cover that dresses the base of deciduous trees, which provide it with a well-drained leaf litter that it loves. This variety regularly flowers, close to the ground, with fleshy flowers that start out brown-violet at the base of the foliage. Place this little wonder at the base of trees, along paths, in pots on the terrace or balcony, in the conservatory, or even in your living room.

Aspidistra eliator Milky Way is a plant in the Convallariaceae family, along with lily of the valley and Liriope muscari, which are known for their incredible robustness. Its ancestor is native to Taiwan and Japan, specifically the undergrowth of the Osumi Peninsula, from where it was widely introduced to China. It arrived in Great Britain in the 19th century, conquering Victorian interiors, and gradually French and European living rooms where it quickly proved to be remarkably resistant and adaptable and, in fact, almost completely undemanding. It is capable of regrowing from the stump after experiencing temperatures as low as -10 °C (14 °F) and tolerates dry shade very well as long as it receives a bit of light.

This is a slow-growing rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, with almost non-existent stems. It forms a dense clump of leaves about 35-45 cm (14-18 in) in all directions, more or less depending on the soil's fertility, slowly expanding to form large colonies over time. Its growth is quite slow and it never becomes invasive. Its leaves persist in winter. They are lanceolate and leathery, ending in a point and measuring about 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in) in length and 5 to 6 cm (2 in) in width. They are glossy, entirely punctuated with white, and light green when they emerge, becoming very dark green in summer. Flowering takes place in early summer in June, on mature plants, at the base of the clumps of leaves. The flowers emerge from ovoid violet buds. They open into fleshy cups with a waxy appearance, composed of 8 tapering lobes at their tips. Their colour is cream-white speckled with brown-violet on the outside, with a very dark brown-violet colour on the inside. The flowering is followed by the formation of small spherical and dark berries.

Easier to find at florists than in nursery aisles, Aspidistra elatior is actually a robust perennial plant whose qualities are being rediscovered, but this time in the garden. Much more decorative than the usual species, the 'Milky Way' cultivar deserves much better than dark corridors and dusty corners. It is an elegant, gently original, versatile and low-maintenance plant. Its great resistance to these difficult conditions allows it to be used in many situations: in light shade, at the base of trees, as a border to highlight the design of a path, in rock gardens alongside heathers, for example, or in Japanese-style gardens. It will accompany hostas, ferns, geranium phaeum, Epimedium, or ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), for example. It is a plant that grows very well in pots, on a partially shaded window or balcony. It is so accommodating that it will forgive neglectful watering and thrive in gardens without gardeners, or in weekend gardens.