Ask Alys | Gardens | The Guardian

My Fatsia japonica is looking sad,with slightly yellow, limp leaves, though it's still growing at quite arate. Why isn't it happy? Ihave it in a raised, sunny bed.That is a description of a sad plant. I hate to tell you this but it doesn't like the sun, it wants to be sheltered in the shade.

Ask AlysGardens This article is more than 12 years old

Ask Alys

This article is more than 12 years oldWhy is my Fatsia japonica so sad?

My Fatsia japonica is looking sad, with slightly yellow, limp leaves, though it's still growing at quite a rate. Why isn't it happy? I have it in a raised, sunny bed.
That is a description of a sad plant. I hate to tell you this but it doesn't like the sun, it wants to be sheltered in the shade. It likes, at best, a few hours of sunlight in the morning. Older leaves will naturally droop and turn yellow before they fall off, but if the whole plant is a pale colour it is suffering. It also hates drying winds.

You can easily rectify the problem as it's a tough plant. Do you have a shady position you could move it to? It would be happy in a large pot. It's tricky to move now it's coming into a period of growth. If you did, you'd have to be vigilant on the watering. I'd wait till autumn and then relocate it.

If it's not possible to move it, offer some companion plants to make it feel less exposed. It looks good next to tall grasses and bamboos such as Phyllostachys nigra (bamboo) or the stripy Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'. Otherwise maybe a banana for a tropical look; Musa basjoo is the hardiest and could offer some shade. Got a question for Alys? Email askalys@theguardian.com

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