Hi all, sorry it took so long to get back its been a busy few days. Yes it is also known as ligularia, I got them from a local master gardener who grows them at the botanical garden. Melanie, pineapple sage would be wonderful, thankyou. Please e-mail me directly, instead of through GW with your address and I will get you mine. thanks very much Lisa

I hope no one minds my making a push for native plants, especially under a native tree like Silver Maple. Very happy under our Silver Maple: Golden Groundsel, False Solomon's Seal, American Spikenard, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Pagoda Dogwood, Spicebush, Bluestem Goldenrod, White Snakeroot, Wood Aster, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Native Columbine, Royal Ferns, Cardinal Flower, Dwarf Crested Iris. Birds love this area with all the underplantings, and plants that supply lots of caterpillars for their young, and berries later. Also great for bees and butterflies. One trick is putting a bird bath under the tree, and putting some of the plants needing extra moisture, like the Cardinal Flower, near that so they get watered when you hose the bird bath. I am actually trying to get rid of the lily of the valley that is also there, that was there when we moved in. It is super-poisonous to pets, and looks just awful after it's done blooming. I wish we could totally eradicate it.

Hi there, Anyone have a leopard plant they can sell me? Am trying to source one. Am happy to pay for plant and postage to Wollongong NSW. Cheers.

We trialed a bunch of Farfugium and Ligularia here at Leu Gardens many years ago. Only Farfugium japonicum did well here. F. japonicum var. giganteum has the largest leaves. There are other nice varieties with smaller leaves. the "species" form of Fargium japonicum has green leaves about half the size and plain green. 'Auromaculatum' has nice gold spotted leaves. 'Crispatum' has crested foliage and 'Variegatum' has leaves variegated with white. I would love to see a variegated form of var. giganteum. I'm glad to see Farfugium getting popular in the Florida nursery trade now. We promoted it for years as a good perennial for Florida.