Introduction: Today we are here with a great infromation of Big Leaf Plants. Leaves are very important for plants and the main function of the leaf is to produce food for the plant by photosynthesis. They capture sunlight and using chlorophyll, the enzyme that makes plant leaves a green, turn it into sugars to fuel growth. The transformation is called photosynthesis and it is a fundamental part of life on earth.
A step by step guide to big leaf plants for your home garden
Plants with large leaves can make a real impact in the home garden. Though, all plants carry out photosynthesis a myriad of leaf types have evolved. Some leaves are big, some are small, some shiny, some furry, some sharp and prickly while others are soft and felty. Large leafed plants can look unique, tropical and add striking flair to any type of garden.
The size, shape, and texture of a plant leaves reveal a lot about its natural habitat. Many small leaves mean a plant can produce lots of energy but is not investing too much in each leaf. As well, small leaves are less probable to be damaged by wind or rain.
List of big leaf plants
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Here are some of the large-leaved plants to grow;
Elephant’s ears
Growing elephant ear plants is very easy. Most of these plants prefer rich, moist soil and can be grown in full sun, but they normally prefer partial shade. The tubers can be located directly outdoors once the threat of frost or freezing temperatures have ceased in your area. They grow one meter or more in height and prefer part shade. Whether in the ground or a container, don’t let them dry out. Moist but well-drained soil is ideal for growing Elephant ears plants.
Elephant ears plants bring to mind lush, tropical forests, adding drama to both gardens and containers. The most known forms have heart or arrow-shaped leaves (often oversized) with decorative veining, inspiring the common name elephant ears. Growing elephant ears is very simple and they like filtered sun or shade and rich, moist soil. Elephant ear plants, which are grown from tuberous rhizomes, can make impressive sizes quickly.
Mulleins
Mulleins are one of the big-leaved perennials that offer felty gray leaves, reaching 14 inches long. While all selections of this species are garden-worthy, the largest cultivar, ‘Arctic Summer’, is one of the important ones. And it towers at 8 feet when in bloom and spreads like candelabra. In midsummer, golden yellow color flowers ignite its tall, silvery spires. Mulleins are a magnificent addition to the home garden. Despite their height and branching, they don’t require staking when grown in their preferred conditions of gravelly or dry, lean soil. These Mullein plants are evergreen and love drought.
Common mullein plants are very large, erect specimens with huge, furry leaves and tall stalks of yellow flower rosettes. Though, common mullein produces seeds prolifically, leaving them for decades before germination.
Rodgersia
Rodgersia plants are one of the most handsome perennials around with their wonderfully quilted, palmate leaves. There are many striking species, so it’s hard to go wrong. They normally reach 3 to 6 feet tall and wide. Their fluffy flower plumes resemble those of astilbes and range in color from white to pink color in mid- to late summer. Rodgersia plant is an excellent species with 10 to 12-inch-long leaflets that contribute to each leaf section’s 18 to 24-inch spread.
Rodgersia plants have large leaves and carry blooms of clustered small pink and white flowers atop long stalks. These plants prefer a semi-shade location that has rich, moist soil. They will produce in full sun provided they have enough soil moisture.
Fiddle-leaf fig
This handsome large-leaved fig has green leaves that are indeed fiddle-shaped. It is an excellent small indoor tree for a brightly lit area, garden or courtyard. As figs grow large and extensive root systems, this is one to keep contained. Fiddle leaf fig tree is a stunning plant with huge green leaves.
Fiddle leaf figs can produce a couple of feet every year if given the proper care. These popular houseplants can climb up to 6 feet or more in your home garden. The fiddle leaf fig tree belongs to the Moraceae family just like the ficus elastica, also known as the rubber plant.
Windmill palm tree
Windmill palm trees will look its best in partial or even full shade. Windmill palm is slow-growing and can advantage from regular irrigation. Water enough to maintain the soil moist, but not waterlogged.
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This extremely hardy windmill palm tree has distinctive hairy black fibers covering its slender graceful trunk. The very attractive compact crown is accented by its large mid-green leaves. These plants best when planted in full sun, in moist, but well-drained soils. Windmill palm can grow 25-30ft in height if planted in the right location and protected in winter.
The windmill palm has fan-shaped leaves that are about 3 feet in length and which give the tree its name. The leaf shafts generate fibers that cover the trunk and can be made into ropes, mats, brushes, brooms, hats, and other fibrous products. The leaves are sometimes used in thatched roofs.
Philodendron Â
Philodendron plants are popular indoor or shade plants. Some Philodendron plants have large lacy leaves such as Philodendron bipinnatifidum while others have smaller, heart-shaped leaves (such as P. ‘Redwings’, which also has red new growth). Most are climbers, which produce in sun but relish the deep shade of a tree or a well-lit spot indoors.
Philodendrons climb tree trunks (the name philodendron means ‘tree lover’), scale plant supports or produce across the ground as a dense cover. For a dry, shaded spot choose ‘Xanadu’ Philodendron, which has compact, slightly frilled, dark green leaves and a clumping habit. The plants have large, green, dark leaves that allow them to absorb even the tiniest traces of light and water. Often, the reason for philodendron leaves turn yellow is that people overwater them.
Grecian Pattern Plant
This shade-loving perennial plant offers an intriguing tropical effect from its large oak leaf-shaped foliage. Often grown for its foliage alone or its spikes of whitish-lilac flowers that bloom in late spring and these plants can spread rapidly. These plants are useful in perennial borders or as a background planting. Grecian pattern plants will grow 3-4ft in height and spread. These plants are best when planted in part shade in moist, but well-drained soil.
Canna
I like canna plants for thier wonderful flowers and leaves and can consider this as one of my favourite big leaf plants. Cannas have large, paddle-like leaves that are often variegated, with brightly colored, exotic flowers. Canna ‘Phasion’ has stunning leaves in stripes of green, purple, orange and pink, plus orange flowers. Cannas aren’t hardy, so require some winter protection.
Cannas are normally tall plants, some up to 6 or 8 feet tall, and grow from underground stems, called rhizomes. Their large and paddle-shaped leaves can be 3 feet tall and are burgundy or reddish-purple in several cultivars. Their flowers appear in summer and tightly wrapped, with oval but pointed petals. Cannas carry their flowers on tall spikes, with buds opening in sequence, beginning at the lower branch of the spike. Growing cannas in the garden is an easy way to create instant tropical flair. Cannas are tropical and subtropical flowering plants with large and banana-like leaves.
Giant rhubarb
Giant rhubarb or Gunnera manicata is the largest of all herbaceous plants and therefore the first on the list. Plants can grow up to 3 meters tall and 4 meters across. Gunnera manicata will grow in the sun or shade but has thirsty roots, so it is best suited to a bog garden. This huge plant is popular in gardens, where it’s grown beside ponds and in damp, boggy areas.
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Umbrella plant
Umbrella plant or umbrella papyrus plant loves a partially shady, moist spot in the garden, where its huge, lily-pad-like leaves can spread. The plant leaves can reach 24 inches in diameter and look like something from a fairy tale. This Umbrella plant is sometimes called Indian rhubarb because of its showy, pink blooms. The flower spikes emerge from the ground on naked stems in early spring and are followed by the plant leaves shortly after. Clumps can reach about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. In autumn, the plant leaves turn red, which is more intense in sunnier locations. Umbrella plant spreads by rhizomes and can be aggressive in moist soil. This characteristic makes it a perfect plant for boggy areas of the home garden, where few plants will grow.
Red Leaved Banana
This tropical red leaved banana plant has huge broad foliage in compact rosettes atop tall stems. Wine-red colored leaves attach further interest. A popular choice for creating a tropical effect in the garden, near the pool or even indoors in a bright sunny location. This plant wants to be protected in winter to survive in our climate. Best when planted in full sun in an area protected from strong winds and grows 12-15ft tall with leaves stretching even farther.
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Regular old, vegetable grade Rhubarb, sometimes called a “pie plant,” also has impressively large leaves. This Rhubarb plant is extremely cold hardy and can suffice in climates that would not work for some of these other tropical large-leafed plants.
GunneraÂ
Gunnera plant is the granddaddy of big-leaved perennials. Each thick, hairy, veined leaf grows nearly 5 feet across, and the whole plant stretches 8 to 10 statuesque feet. It erupts from the ground in springtime, with plant leaves unfolding from thick, hairy, pinkish stems. The cone-like, greenish-red blooms reach about 3 feet high as they pop up in early summer. Gunnera plant requires full sun to partial shade and rich, moist soil. It is mainly happy at the bottom of a wet slope, along the margins of a stream or pond, or in bog gardens.
Brunnera
Brunnera also commonly known as Siberian bugloss is a small-stature perennial that provides a big punch. While the species sports clean, medium to dark green leaves, different variegated selections are to die for. ‘Jack Frost’ is one of the best and hit the ground running.Â
Giant Rhubarb or Chilean Rhubarb
This giant rhubarb water-loving plant forms huge leaves in giant clumps. It is a perennial plant and will die back each year with its foliage providing its shelter. These plant leaves can grow 2.5 meters across. Erect spikes of cone-shaped flowers erupt in late spring and early summer.
Mayapple plant
Mayapple plants have been newly rediscovered by the gardening world and are coveted for their bold, veined foliage splashed and mottled with near-black patterning. The Podophyllum peltatum species spread to form an 18-inch-tall by the 4-foot-wide clump. Podophyllum hexandrum is also known as the Himalayan mayapple, has broad leaves notably mottled in purplish brown. These plant leaves of both plants spread to 12 to 14 inches in diameter and look stunning against the fine texture of ferns. Mayapple plants do best in partial to full shade and thrive in rich, humus soil.
Colewort or Crambe cordifolia
Colewort plant is not a fussy plant. It mainly prefers full sun and fertile soil; it will take partial shade and poorer soil at the expense of size. Slugs have been identified to chomp on this plant’s leaves, so be on the lookout for these slimy pests as soon as the foliage emerges in spring.
Banana
Banana is one of my favourite big leaf plants. Banana plants look great in tropical garden schemes, with giant, paddle-like leaves and thick trunks. Musa basjoo is the hardiest variety; Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’ is tender, with red and green leaves. The plant grows in a sheltered spot, as the wind can shred the foliage, and feed and water generously.
Cardoon
The cardoon is also called the artichoke thistle and it is a tender perennial. This plant is grown for its young leaf-stalks which are blanched and eaten like celery. Cardoon plant has heavy, gray-green, fuzzy leaves that are deeply cut and a heavy bristled flower head. That’s all folks hope you enjoyed reading the information of big leaf plants. Don’t forget to leave a comment and wish you happy gardening.
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