Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web' 14cm / 2L Plants - Outdoor GrowTropicals
Hardy exotic

Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web'

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Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantEvergreenLoved by pollinators
Pot size

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Description

Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' is one of the most striking evergreen shrubs you can grow for shade, and a real talking point in any garden. This variegated form of the classic fatsia japonica takes the bold, glossy, hand-shaped leaves of the species and dusts them with a fine spray of white speckling, heaviest at the leaf margins and fading towards the centre, exactly as though a spider had been busy overnight. No two leaves are quite the same, and the effect lights up the darkest, dampest corners where little else will thrive.

A standout among hardy exotics, spiders web fatsia brings a lush, almost tropical presence to UK gardens while shrugging off cold that would see off many tender lookalikes. The large palmate leaves give wonderful architectural structure year-round, and in autumn mature plants produce curious creamy-white drumstick flowers, much loved by late-foraging bees and other pollinators, followed by small black berries.

How and where to grow

Position is the key to keeping this variegated fatsia japonica looking its best. It is happiest in partial or full shade; too much hot, direct sun can scorch the pale variegation, so a north- or east-facing aspect, or a sheltered spot dappled by taller plants, is ideal. Plant it in moist but well-drained soil enriched with plenty of organic matter. It is wonderfully unfussy about soil type, coping with chalk, clay, loam or sand across a range of pH.

  • Hardiness: evergreen and reliably hardy across most of the UK once established
  • Eventual size: a rounded, bushy shrub of around 1.5-2.5m tall and wide
  • Care: shelter from cold drying winds; water well in the first seasons and in containers

It excels in a large pot for a shady patio or courtyard, and pairs beautifully with ferns, hostas and other shade lovers. Whether you are after year-round structure or simply something a little different, fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' delivers. Every plant we send out is hand-selected, so it arrives healthy, well-rooted and ready to settle straight into your garden.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web'

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web'

Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web' needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Shade Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H5): down to around −15°C. Hardy through a cold UK winter.

Hardy (RHS H5), evergreen. The white-speckled 'Spider's Web' foliage is a touch more tender than plain Fatsia — give it a sheltered spot. Read moreShow less

Hardy (RHS H5), evergreen. The white-speckled 'Spider's Web' foliage is a touch more tender than plain Fatsia — give it a sheltered spot.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Partial to full shade; too much sun fades the variegation. Read moreShow less

Partial to full shade; too much sun fades the variegation.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Read moreShow less

Fertile, moist but well-drained soil.

Watering

Keep moist while establishing and water in dry spells. Glossy architectural foliage with white flower umbels in autumn. Read moreShow less

Keep moist while establishing and water in dry spells. Glossy architectural foliage with white flower umbels in autumn.

Mature size

Height1.5–2.5 m
Spread1.5–2.5 m

Reaches full size in 5-10 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Oct–Nov

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Little needed. In mid-spring shorten any over-long or frost-damaged shoots and pull off tatty leaves to shape; it tolerates harder cutting back if it outgrows its spot.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets, though contact with the foliage or sap may occasionally irritate sensitive skin.

Native range

Japan, S. Korea

Family

Araliaceae

Genus

Fatsia
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' hardy enough to survive a UK winter?

Yes. It is reliably hardy across most of the UK, tolerating temperatures down to around -10C once established. In very cold or exposed gardens give it a sheltered spot, as the variegated foliage can be marked by harsh, drying winds.

Does 'Spider's Web' need sun or shade?

It thrives in partial or full shade, which makes it ideal for those tricky north- or east-facing corners. Avoid hot, direct afternoon sun, as it can scorch the delicate white speckling and bleach the leaves; bright, dappled shade keeps the variegation at its best.

How big does it grow?

Expect a rounded, bushy shrub of roughly 1.5-2.5m tall and wide over time, reaching its ultimate height in about 5-10 years. It is slow to moderate in growth and responds well to pruning if you want to keep it more compact.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Absolutely. Its size, shade tolerance and bold evergreen leaves make it an excellent container plant for a shady patio, courtyard or doorway. Use a large pot with peat-free, loam-based compost, keep it well watered in summer, and feed through the growing season.

Is it safe around pets and children?

Fatsia japonica is generally considered low-risk and has no significant reported toxicity to people or pets. As with any plant, it is sensible to discourage children and animals from chewing the foliage, and the sap may irritate particularly sensitive skin.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web'
£13.99 £14.49