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 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 when the wind turns them over. 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 bed width.

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

Large pots and damp corners. A 400mm pot or larger holds one plant well and gives a balcony vertical presence, though containers dry faster than beds. Pond edges and rain garden margins suit it too, provided water moves through.

Growing Cigar Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade to filtered morning sun gives the best leaf size and colour; harsh afternoon sun scorches the margins. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and is frost tender, so in cool inland and southern districts grow it in a pot that can shift to a sheltered verandah over winter. Big leaves and strong wind do not mix, so choose a spot sheltered on the windward side.

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

Water and feed. Keep the root zone consistently moist through the warm months. Apply a controlled release fertiliser in early spring and again in midsummer.

Grooming. No pruning as such. Cut 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 established multi caned plants rather than seedlings. The 300mm suits a run of several plants; the 400mm suits a single feature where you want the full effect immediately.

Leaves may arrive folded or lightly creased from the trip. That is cosmetic: new leaves unfurl within four to six weeks in warm weather and older ones can be cut away once replaced. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. 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.

Can I grow it indoors?

Only in a bright, humid, generously sized room, and it stays smaller than it would outside. A well lit bathroom or sunroom works far better than a dim lounge corner.

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.