February Plant of the Month

An eye-catching, spiky-leaved perennial grown for its dramatic silver foliage. Female plants produce pale green flowers on long stalks in summer, followed by orange berries in autumn, but it’s really a plant grown for its foliage – silvery and sword like.

Evergreen, eventually to 1m tall where happy, which is generally a sheltered spot in moist but well-drained, fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Frost hardy, it may need protection in cold winters. Divide congested plants in spring.

A good architectural plant for growing in a mixed herbaceous border or as a focal point on its own right. It looks particularly good with grasses and other foliage plants.