Plants

With tall elegant upright leaves that grow directly from the rhizome, this variegated type has beautiful white brushed tops where the name ‘ashai’ means morning sun.

This undemanding and hardy perennial needs to be planted in a wide enough pot where the roots may spread and in well-draining, slightly sandy soil. It can handle a wide variety of light (not direct sunrays), temperatures and can even be forgiving if you miss a few days with watering and therefore great for offices and holiday homes. However never let the soil dry out completely.

Dust off the leaves regularly to help with photosynthesis and avoid spider mites. Feed during summer months with liquid fertilizer on moist soil (not dry). Only cut off leaves that have dried out fully, do not cut off dry tips. Propagation is by dividing the rhizomes with 2 leaves in early spring.

Prone to spider-mites.