Eleutherococcus sieboldianus ‘Variegatus’

I’ve had a 30-year relationship with Eleutherococcus sieboldianus ‘Variegatus’ and am continually impressed with not only its ornamental appeal but its durability, adaptability and fortitude in a wide range of garden situations. I have one specimen in my shady backyard that is 10 years old and have planted over 40 of these at Rotary Botanical Gardens (Janesville, Wisconsin) where they still thrive after 25 years. I remember when this shrub was called Acanthopanax (later becoming Eleutherococcus) and while both genera are a mouthful to say, they are both still used in the trade. While I’m still disheartened that I don’t see the variegated form grown more often, it does seem to be increasingly more available at area nurseries and garden centers. To know it is to love it.

This shrub is originally native to China and escaped cultivation in Japan. While I’ve grown the green foliage form, the variegated selection is widely preferred by most gardeners due to the “radiant illumination” that the variegation provides in the garden. Reaching a height and width of 8 feet or so in time, this member of the Araliaceae (ginseng) family has an upright and arching form. The flowers and fruits are rarely seen or noted on the variegated forms and are secondary to the artful foliage. I’ve grown this shrub in dry shade and in sunny locations in clay soils and it is literally the least picky shrub I grow. This shrub would not like waterlogged soils but seems comfortable in all other settings. It also shrugs off heat, humidity and is known to be pollution tolerant. While this shrub can ultimately form a thicket, it’s not hard to contain and is responsive to light shearing and informal hedging and screening scenarios.

The “buckeye-like” foliage is palmate and typically features five leaflets (although three and seven leaflet foliage can occasionally be observed). The creamy white variegation is variable on every leaf although the proportion of green to the variegated markings on every leaf is nicely balanced visually. I enjoy watching the colorful foliage emerge and have observed a range of white variegation to an almost creamy yellow. An occasional “all cream” leaf may appear but any entirely green stem reversions should be removed promptly. Short thorns exist at the leaf and stem nodes of the plant which prompts the use of gloves but also seems to slow the deer down as some resistance to browsing is evident. This shrub, with few insect or disease issues, is most commonly propagated from softwood cuttings rooted under mist or by division of parent plants.