By Jim McCausland, Sunset senior garden writer
One of my very favorite broadleaved evergreen shrubs for shade is Japanese aralia (Fatsia japonica), whose large, fan-shaped leaves look more tropical than they really are (this grows virtually anywhere west of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, except desert). Now there’s an improved version called ‘Spider’s Web’.
To me, its variegated leaves look more like they’re covered with rime, or lightly dusted with snow; but if you squinch your eyes up just right, I suppose they might appear to be covered with spider webs. The amount and character of variegation on the leaves change with maturity, so the plant has a different look from month to month.
Like most Japanese aralias, this one produces amazing ivory-colored flowers. They look like a sculptor’s rendition of the airbursts you'd see in a fireworks show.
I’m pleased to say that ‘Spider’s Web’ comes from Terra Nova Nurseries, a Northwest breeder that seems to have an amazing knack for developing plants that people love. You can buy it at nurseries and garden centers across mild-winter parts of the West.
