Giant Japanese Butterbur

Behold, the Giant Japanese Butterbur.Well, it's not too giant yet...but just wait. It is by far the earliest perennial to bloom here in central Massachusetts. Meet Petasites japonicus 'Giganteus', indeed the Giantest of the Japanese Butterbur's, which has the curious capacity to present itself as two different looking plants, at different times of the year. Although this first impression may not appeal to most, the second burst of folial growth is all about "the wow factor". First,the blooms emerge in February, with bulbous buds and these rosettes of tiny flowers which throughout March are open for business to the bravest of honey bees.

These four inch tall flower panicles are edible too, highly prized in Japan for eating, often boiled down in Soy Sauce, or eaten while still green and fresh with miso. ( we will cook some this Saturday). The entire plant is edible in fact, at all the different stages of growth, either pickled for winter soups, or stir fried while green and fresh.

The ornamental value of this Petasites is what makes the impact,and this comes during the impressive second phase of growth, so prepare yourself, because in late May, magnificent giant 40 inch-wide leaves unfold from thick celery-like stalks that reach five feet into the air. Clearly, one must have room as well as moist soil to grow this, and the plant must be sited well, since it 'runs' a bit, although it is easy to maintain by a simple yank on the stem. An area of the garden really needs to be dedicated to this plant, but the rewards will look like a small meadow of giant lotus leaves, that are chin high (and I am 6 feet tall). We've used them as placemats and tablecloths at summer garden parties, and Japanese school children play with them as umbrellas, although we have tried this, and the rain just funnels down to the stem, and runs down your arm. Still, it does the trick if caught in the back of the garden in a sudden downpour.

Be careful buying Petasites, there are a number of other sub-species and named forms of P. japonicus available (when one can find a source), try Heronswood Nursery when they carry it, for the true species type of 'Giganteus" is often miss-labeled, and the more common P. japonicus which the trade tends to carry is an inferior form, with leaves only a foot or so wide. I would try to avoid the other forms, no matter how tempting, either variegated or the red leaved forms both are messy, and run a bit more, but mostly they provide hardly the impact that this species does. Check back in June for foliage shots.

For such a grand show, if you have the space, it all disappears at the first frost, and nothing is left, until these tiny blossoms appear in late winter again. I find it curious that the flowers look as if they come from another plant altogether.