Fatsia Japonica in a container

Hello!

I've got a really fancy to grow a fatsia in a half barrel style container. Is this doable, do you think. Do they take well to a large container?

If so, I imagine I would have to start off in a much smaller container and repot as it grows, or could I take a nursery/garden centre bought specimen straight to a large half barrel (just thinking about watering / soil moisture etc)

Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, they do fine in large pots. I use refuse bins, with plenty of empty plastic bottles at the bottom for drainage. This one has now been transplanted into the ground, as it was getting too big - but I have others happily growing in a variety of pot sizes.

 

You could certainly keep it in a pot for 5 yrs or so. I would increase the size of container gradually and use a mix of soil and compost as the medium. If you want to use a half barrel straight away, fill it with stones and then sink a smaller pot containing the plant within these.

It will need regular watering and an annual feed in spring.

 

If you keep it regularly pruned you can keep it potted, but - they need width rather than depth, as they're not terribly deep rooted.
They also need more attention in a pot than in the ground, just as any plant does. Watering is the most important thing as they can't access it from the ground around them, so unless you have the container on soil rather than a hard surface, you'll need to be very vigilant about that. Even in persistent, regular rain, it doesn't get through the canopy of foliage easily. If you have it in a shady area, which suits them very well, they don't dry out so readily, but it's important to check.
They cope well enough with sun, unless it's full on for long periods, which the south gets more often, but it can bleach the foliage, which isn't very attractive. They're best in sites where they don't get battered by wind too.

 

I have one in a pot and it has done well. Mine is in a sheltered, mostly shady corner and the bright green sings out.

You’ve just given me an idea… I have a shady space which I’m looking to fill so instead of re-potting this year, I could plant it out. Obviously I’d have to buy something else for the pot then

 

Goes without saying!

 

@KathM - Looks superb in that big pot. Deeper than my half barrel, but @fairygirl says they are more shallow rooted, so should be ok. @AuntyRach I think I have a nice semi shady spot for it, now I think about it - so might give it a go.
@ViewAhead - nice idea about a smaller pot in the larger pot. I'll give that a go!

And oddly, I took the kids to a local museum (Birkenhead Priory), and low and behold there was a fatsia growing in a half barrel! Looked nice too!

 

Always good to see for real what you have in your mind's eye.

 

Hi,

My partner planted a fatsia in a pot 3-4 years ago. It's not even a huge pot, and the fatsia seems to be living its best life. I do make sure it is well watered and fed, to make up for the fact that the pot is not as big as it could be. But yes, it's growing well, and we often have to cut it back to restrict its size a bit.

 

Lovely specimen, @CostasK!

 

Mine was dug up in June, as I needed to access theshed it's beside for renovation. It sat for well over a month in an opened up compost bag, dumped in a corner, with the sides just held up with bits of wood to stop soil falling out. It was replanted recently and is fine. They're not difficult plants to manage.
They don't grow as quickly here where I am, unless in an open enough spot. Mine had it's own raised bed which I removed to get it out, but it'll be bigger now that it's got more space to grow into. We rarely get the flowers here unfortunately, as the season isn't long enough, or warm enough usually, but they're excellent backdrop plants.