Cigar Plant

Cigar Plant (Calathea lutea) is the calathea that belongs in the garden rather than on a windowsill. It pushes leathery paddle shaped leaves up to 900mm long on tall upright stems, reaching about 2.5m high and 1.5m wide in a warm climate, and the undersides carry a chalky silver bloom that flashes whenever the wind turns them over. Planted a metre apart it builds a soft tropical screen faster than most hedging shrubs. It is also one of very few statement plants this size that is genuinely safe around cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage at a scale nothing else matches. Individual leaves run 600mm to 900mm long, so three plants furnish a whole bed rather than filling a gap in one.
• A screen with no clipping. At 1m spacing the canes knit into a 2m to 2.5m wall of leaf within a season or two, and there is no hedge to trim.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, which rules out very little else at this scale.
• Comfortable with damp ground. It tolerates soil that stays wet, so it solves the low corner where most plants sulk.
• Fast and undemanding. Warmth, steady moisture and a feed each spring is honestly the whole job.

Where it works best

Tropical screening and privacy. Plant 1m apart in a single row along a fence line or pool surround. The canes grow upright rather than outward, so you get height without surrendering the bed width a shrub hedge demands.

Mass planting under established trees. Filtered light suits it better than open sun. A drift of five or seven plants at 1m centres turns a bare, rooty area under a canopy into the lushest part of the garden.

Large pots and courtyards. A 400mm pot or larger holds one plant well and gives a balcony or courtyard instant vertical presence. Containers dry out faster than beds, so check moisture twice a week in summer.

Damp and low lying beds. Pond edges, rain garden margins and downpipe outfalls all suit it, provided the water moves through rather than stagnating.

Growing Cigar Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade to filtered morning sun gives the best leaf size and colour, and harsh afternoon sun scorches the margins. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It is frost tender, so in cool inland and southern districts grow it in a pot that can shift to a sheltered verandah over winter.

Shelter. Big leaves and strong wind do not mix. Pick a spot with a fence, wall or canopy on the windward side and the foliage stays whole instead of shredding.

Soil. Rich, organic and moisture holding. Dig compost or aged manure through the bed before planting and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone consistently moist through the warm months; this is not a plant to dry out between drinks. Apply a controlled release fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer.

Grooming. There is no pruning as such. Cut older or tired canes off at ground level and the clump replaces them from the base.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 300mm and 400mm pots, both of them established multi caned plants rather than seedlings, so you are buying presence on day one. The 300mm is the sensible choice for a run of several plants; the 400mm suits a single feature or a pot where you want the full effect immediately.

Leaves are large and may arrive folded or lightly creased from the trip. That is cosmetic. New leaves unfurl within four to six weeks in warm weather and the older ones can be cut away once replaced. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full tropical plant range
• Compare hedging and screening options
• See the compact indoor calatheas
• Preparing a garden bed before planting

Common questions

Is this the same as the calathea I keep indoors?

Same genus, completely different scale. The patterned calatheas sold as houseplants top out around 600mm. This one reaches 2.5m with leaves the size of a forearm, and it is grown as an outdoor garden plant in warm climates.

Can I grow it indoors?

Only in a bright, humid, generously sized room, and it will stay smaller than it would outside. It needs high humidity and steady moisture, so a well lit bathroom or a sunroom works far better than a dim lounge corner.

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. The clumps spread sideways as they mature and meet at that spacing, giving a continuous band of foliage from about knee height upwards.

Will it survive frost?

No. Frost burns the foliage and a hard frost can kill the plant outright. In frosting districts treat it as a container plant that overwinters under cover, or choose a hardier screening plant for the same job.