At the lowest levels of the horticultural world are those plants that naturally carpet the forest floor. One of our favorites belongs to the genus Aspidistra, commonly known as cast iron plants. During the spring and summer, they are barely noticed in the garden, but as everything else around them goes dormant in fall, their evergreen structure really stands out. Here’s a clump of Aspidistra elatior ‘Goldfeather’ as we near Christmas.
Growing nearby is the rare Aspidistra leshanensis. Last year, Plant Delights offered this Sichuan native, probably for the first time ever in the Western Hemisphere. Sadly, less than two dozen people took advantage of the offering. Ex-situ conservation is dependent on you to save many of these species when you have a chance to do so.
