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Ornamentalshrub ornamentalStraightforward

Fatsia

Fatsia japonica

Enormous glossy hand-shaped leaves that look tropical and are entirely hardy in most of Britain, which is an unusual combination and the whole reason to grow one. It does its best work in deep shade against a wall, where its architecture reads and almost nothing else that size will grow.

Position
Moderate light
Water
moderate demand
Drainage
Moisture-retentive
Grows to
150–400 cm × 150–400 cm
Hardiness
H4
Flowers
October and November
Difficulty
Straightforward

August

Nothing to do

No sowing, planting, harvesting or pruning window falls in August.

Coming next month: plant.

Fatsia’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

ActivityJFMAMJJASOND
PlantApril. May. September. October.
In flowerOctober. November.
PruneApril. May.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

Conditions it needs

Light
Full shade, Dappled shade, Partial shade
Frost
Hardy
Hardiness rating
H4 (RHS)
Grows best at
10–24 °C
Soil
Loam, Clay, Peat-free compost
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
Drainage
Moisture-retentive
Water needs
moderate
Drought
moderate tolerance
Waterlogging
poor tolerance
Heat
moderate tolerance
Wind and exposure
poor tolerance
Where these figures come from
LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — position

Checked 2026-08-13

FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Hardiness ratingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings

Checked 2026-08-13

Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — temperature

Checked 2026-08-13

SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Fatsia japonica — culture

Checked 2026-08-13

DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Wind tears and browns the big leaves.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

SoilVerdictWhy
Heavy clayWorks, with one conditionFatsia will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
SandyGrows well hereFatsia grows perfectly well on sandy without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Chalky and alkalineGrows well hereFatsia grows perfectly well on chalky and alkaline without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
LoamPrefers this soilLoam suits Fatsia as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 5.5 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
SiltyGrows well hereFatsia grows perfectly well on silty without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Peaty and acidWorks, with one conditionFatsia will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Shallow over rockGrows well hereFatsia grows perfectly well on shallow over rock without special measures, though it is not the soil it would choose.
Made ground and urban soilWorks, with one conditionFatsia will crop on made ground and urban soil, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height
150–400 cm
Mature spread
150–400 cm
Rooting depth
50 cm
Spacing
150–250 cm apart
Where these figures come from
Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

SpacingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia — spacing

Checked 2026-08-13

How far apart to plant fatsiaThree fatsia plants drawn in a row at their recorded spacing of 150–250 cm between plants. The spacing is drawn to scale against a one metre rule; the plants themselves are symbols rather than scale drawings, so the distance between them is the part to read.150–250 cmone metre
Measured centre to centre. Plants set closer than this compete for light and water long before they look crowded, and the crowding cannot be undone once they are in.

In a container

Minimum volume
30 litres or more
Minimum depth
40 cm
Where the container figures come from
Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

An excellent large container plant and one of the few evergreens that looks properly architectural in shade, which is where most patio pots struggle. Use loam-based compost in a heavy pot — the leaves are large and catch the wind. Water through the summer, feed monthly in the growing season, and top-dress each spring rather than repotting a big one. It will also come indoors as a house plant in a cool bright hall.

Habit and ultimate size

What the plant becomes, rather than what it is when you buy it. The gap between the two is where most planting mistakes live.

Foliage
Evergreen
In a container
Good in a container long-term
Where these figures come from
FoliageSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — foliage

Checked 2026-08-13

In a containerHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Growth rate
Moderate — roughly 30–60 cm a year
Ultimate height
150–400 cm
Ultimate spread
150–400 cm
Time to reach it
10–15 yearsSourced guidance
Where these figures come from
Growth rateSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — growth rate

Checked 2026-08-13

Ultimate heightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — ultimate height

Checked 2026-08-13

Ultimate spreadSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — ultimate spread

Checked 2026-08-13

Time to reach itSourced guidancelow confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — time to ultimate size

Checked 2026-08-13

Cutting it back. Cut a leggy stem right down in spring and it breaks from the base freely. Taking one whole stem at a time rather than shortening all of them avoids the awkward candelabra shape that results from an all-over cut.
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

MethodSuitabilityWhat it needs
Open groundWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Traditional dug bedWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Raised bedWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

ContainerWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Indoor potWorkable
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Growing it

  • PruningCut leggy stems back hard in spring — it regrows from old wood freely and a plant that has become bare below can be rebuilt in a couple of seasons. Removing a whole stem at the base is better than shortening every one, which produces an awkward candelabra.
  • PlantingGive it shelter from wind rather than from cold. It survives a hard frost with no trouble and the big soft leaves shred and brown in an exposed position, which is what makes a fatsia look miserable in an open garden and magnificent in a town courtyard.
Where this guidance comes from
PruningSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — pruning

Checked 2026-08-13

PlantingSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Fatsia japonica — position

Checked 2026-08-13

Where to make a pruning cutFour stems compared. The first is cut cleanly on a slope about five millimetres above an outward-facing bud, sloping away from it, and is labelled correct. The second is cut too far above the bud, leaving a long stub that dies back. The third is cut too close, into the bud itself, which loses the shoot. The fourth is cut sloping towards the bud so rain runs onto it rather than away, which rots it. In every case the bud points outwards, away from the centre of the plant.Correct5 mm, sloping awayToo highstub dies backToo closebud lostSloping inrain sits on the bud
The bud you cut to becomes the new shoot, and it grows in the direction it points — which is why an outward-facing bud opens the plant up and an inward-facing one crosses the middle.

Sources for this page

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.