Tricyrtis formosa Variegata
Toad lily flowers reward close inspection more than any other shade perennial. Each one is a small upward-facing star, white to soft lavender-pink and heavily freckled with purple, with an odd raised structure at the centre that looks orchid-like. Tricyrtis formosana 'Variegata' carries them along arching leafy stems, and its leaves are edged and streaked cream. Flowering comes February to May.
Nothing else flowers quite this late in shade, which is the point of growing it. Plant it along a shaded path, beside steps, at the front of a woodland border or in a courtyard pot, always somewhere it will be walked past rather than viewed from a distance. It sits well with ferns, hostas and epimedium, which want the same conditions.
Grow in part to full shade in humus-rich soil that stays moist, with compost dug in and an annual mulch. Dry soil is the one thing it will not accept, and the pale variegated tissue scorches in direct afternoon sun. It spreads slowly on short rhizomes to form a modest clump rather than running. It dies back fully over winter.
Reaches around 0.5 to 0.8 m tall with a clump 0.3 to 0.5 m across.
Trimming: Cut the stems down to the ground in late autumn once they have browned off, and mark the spot, since nothing shows above ground until well into spring. No other pruning is required.
Deadheading: Leave the flowers alone. They open in succession along each stem over many weeks, and removing spent ones risks knocking off the buds waiting behind them.
Fertilising: Mulch with compost or leaf mould in spring and add a light slow-release fertiliser as the shoots appear. Rich, moisture-holding soil produces the best stems.
Watering: Water consistently from spring through to flowering. Toad lilies wilt and brown at the leaf tips as soon as they dry out, and on a variegated cultivar that damage is very visible.
Pest Control: Slugs and snails are the main threat and they favour exactly the damp shade this plant needs. Protect the emerging spring shoots, as damage then spoils the stems for the whole season.
Disease Management: Generally healthy. Leaf spot and fungal marking appear where plants are crowded or the foliage stays wet, so space them and water at ground level rather than over the leaves.
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