{"product_id":"fatsia-japonica-spiders-web","title":"Fatsia japonica Spider's Web","description":"\u003cp\u003eFatsia japonica Spider's Web is a variegated form of the Japanese aralia, the big leaved evergreen shrub that has long been the answer for dark corners in temperate gardens. Its broad, glossy, hand shaped leaves are dusted and netted with white, on some leaves so heavily that they look frosted, and the speckling is heaviest on new growth and builds as the plant matures. The effect is a lit up patch of foliage in places where flowering plants give up: the south side of a house, a narrow side passage, the dry ground beneath established trees once it is improved and watered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt grows more slowly and stays more compact than the plain green species, which makes it easier to keep in a pot or a small courtyard bed, and it brings the bold look of a big palmate leaf to gardens far too cold for true tropicals. Melbourne, Adelaide, shaded Sydney gardens and sheltered spots in Canberra all suit it. For the darkest, driest corner, where even Spider's Web thins out, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/aspidistra-elatior\"\u003eCast Iron Plant\u003c\/a\u003e takes deeper shade and less water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eShade first, shelter second\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eShade to part shade is the rule. Morning sun is fine in a mild climate, but hot afternoon sun or the glare off a west facing wall scorches the white areas first, leaving brown, papery patches that do not recover. Variegated leaves have less green tissue to protect them and burn sooner than the plain species. Shelter from hot northerly winds in summer and cold, drying winds in winter matters for the same reason, and young plants are less cold hardy than the green form. Plant into soil improved with compost that holds moisture without staying wet, and mulch over the root zone. Water regularly, and deeply through summer, especially in its first two years and in pots, where a dry spell shows quickly as drooping leaves. In a pot it is one of the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/indoor-plants\"\u003eindoor plants\u003c\/a\u003e that suits a bright, cool room away from heaters and air conditioning vents, and the guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/plants-for-shade-australian-gardens\"\u003eplants for shade\u003c\/a\u003e lists companions for the same position outside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eKeeping it bushy, and what goes wrong\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eApart from scorch, the usual problem is a slow drift to legginess as older stems drop their lower leaves. Cut one or two of the oldest stems back hard in late winter or early spring, close to the base, and new shoots break from lower down to keep the plant full. Remove any shoot that comes out plain green, because it outgrows the speckled growth if left. Feed in spring with a balanced slow release fertiliser; heavy nitrogen feeding greens up the leaves and blurs the pattern. Check stems and leaf undersides for scale and mealybug, watch for snails on soft new leaves after rain, and indoors keep an eye out for spider mite in dry air. Mature plants send up round heads of small cream flowers in autumn and early winter, followed by black berries that birds take. Treat the plant as mildly toxic: the berries and leaves are not for eating and the sap can irritate sensitive skin, so it is not the plant for a pot beside a dog that chews foliage. Clip spent flower heads if you would rather not have berries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 300mm, at $99.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300mm","offer_id":67670796140913,"sku":null,"price":99.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/fatsia-japonica-spiders-web.jpg?v=1791516776","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/products\/fatsia-japonica-spiders-web","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}