Tractor Seat Plants and Ligularia

How to choose a tractor seat plant

The Tractor's Seat Plant is the one most people are after: an evergreen clump about a metre high and wide, with thick, shiny, deep green leaves that can pass 30 centimetres across. Botanists now place it in Farfugium, so you will also see the same plant listed as the Tractor Seat Plant under the name Farfugium japonicum var. giganteum. Both names refer to the giant, glossy leaved form.

The leopard plants are forms of Ligularia dentata, a perennial from cooler parts of Asia. The Britt Marie Crawford Leopard Plant is grown for dark, chocolate purple leaves and orange yellow daisies in summer. The Leopard Plant Little Golden Ray and the Pandora Leopard Plant are further selections of the same group. These suit cool and mild temperate gardens and die back to the ground in winter before returning in spring.

Where tractor seat plants grow

Shade and moisture are the two requirements. The tractor seat plant grows from the subtropics to cool temperate gardens in full shade, dappled light or morning sun. Hot afternoon sun makes the leaves wilt and scorch, even in damp soil. It is ideal under palms and tree ferns, on the south side of a house, beside a pond or in a shaded courtyard pot. Frost can burn the foliage, though the plant usually reshoots from the base. The leopard plants prefer cooler summers and struggle in humid tropical heat.

For plants to grow alongside, see our plants for full shade, ferns for shady areas and tropical plants.

Planting and spacing

Dig compost through the soil so it holds moisture without becoming waterlogged. Set plants at the level they grew in the pot and space them 60 to 80 centimetres apart for a continuous mass of leaves, or about a metre apart if you want each clump to read on its own. Along a path, plant far enough back that the leaves are not trodden on as the clump widens. Mulch well to keep the roots cool. In pots, choose a wide container and a quality potting mix, and expect to water often in summer.

Care basics

Keep the soil evenly moist, especially through hot weather. The big leaves lose water quickly and will droop on a hot afternoon, usually recovering by evening, but repeated wilting browns the edges. Feed in spring with a slow release fertiliser and top up the mulch. Snails and slugs are the main pest, as they rasp holes in the new leaves: check after rain and at night, and protect young plants. Cut off tattered or yellowing leaves at the base, and remove the flower stems once the daisies finish. Clumps can be lifted and divided in early spring when they become crowded.

Common questions

Do tractor seat plants need full shade?

They are happiest in shade or dappled light. Gentle morning sun is fine, but afternoon sun scorches the leaves in most parts of Australia.

How big do tractor seat plants grow?

About a metre high and a metre wide, with flower stems rising a little above the foliage. The clump widens slowly over the years.

Why are there holes in the leaves of my tractor seat plant?

Almost always snails or slugs. Look for them after dark, clear away debris where they shelter and protect new growth.

Can I grow a tractor seat plant in a pot?

Yes. It makes a striking container plant for a shaded patio, as long as the pot is large and the mix is never allowed to dry out.