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I’ve had a love affair with Farfugium for a long time. When we moved from Florida to Iowa I brought one along to try the lovely farfugium as a houseplant. The good news is that it is flourishing!

The big, bold leaves of farfugium, also known as Leopard Plant, are the main attraction. It is a member of Daisy family, so while it does send up spikes of yellow flowers, to me these seem out of place with the large tropical leaves. I’ve even heard farfugium referred to as Tractor Seat Plant, and I can certainly see that in the broad leaf shape.

Farfugium as a houseplant

I first referenced Farfugium on here back in 2015 in my New and Underused Plants post. Back then it was really hard to find. Lately though, it seems that farfugium is showing up all over. In the warmer parts of the country it is finding popularity as a landscape plant. Hardy in zones 7b and warmer, I’ve seen it growing in Norfolk, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia in large masses.

Farfugium as a houseplant

There are several varieties available on the market although my favorite is definitely Farfugium japonicum ‘Giganteum’. It has the largest and glossiest leaves of an available.

Farfugium as a houseplant

Tips for growing Farfugium as a houseplant:

  • Allow soil to dry out between watering. Over-watering is the fastest way to kill any houseplant. I even allow my plant to wilt slightly (the heavy leaves will droop) to make sure I am not watering too much.
  • Use a quality potting soil.
  • Gradually increase pot size as needed. This goes back to overwatering, but basically you want the plant’s soil to dry out and in a huge pot it will just stay too wet.
Farfugium as a houseplant
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