January Plant of the Month
Out for a winter’s walk, I spot a clump of spectacular foliage in amongst the dull brown shades of the scrubby woodland floor. The beautiful marbled and veined leaves of Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ stand out as something unusual and, sure enough, this is not a native plant but a garden escape.
Forming a clump of spectacular foliage, this tuberous rooted perennial is at its best in winter. Its large, arrow-shaped, glossy green leaves are heavily marbled with cream and emerge in late autumn and will cover the ground until mid spring. As the leaves fade away, pale lemon green spathes appear followed by ‘clubs’ of orange-red berries – a stout stem surrounded by berries to about 20-30cm high.
Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ likes semi shade, or even deep shade, and suits being underplanted beneath trees and shrubs in moist but well-drained humus-rich soil. It is also useful planted amongst other perennials that rest during the winter, such as hosta and aquilegia.
Note – all parts of the plant are toxic so handle with care.
