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Key characteristics

Family: Araliaceae
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Width: 6 to 8 feet
Flower color: Creamy white
Foliage color: Green with a bronzy tint when young
Bloom time: Late summer to early fall
Light: Partial shade to full shade
Water: Moderate
Maintenance: Low; minimal pruning required
Growing zone: USDA zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: Bees and butterflies

Shrubs

Aralia cachemirica

Kashmir Aralia

Aralia cachemirica produces large, airy panicles of tiny creamy white flowers in midsummer, attracting bees and other pollinators before giving way to clusters of glossy purple-black berries in late summer. Enormous, deeply divided leaves emerge bright green and mature into bold, lush foliage that creates a dramatic tropical effect throughout the growing season. Thick, upright stems support the broad compound leaves, while the architectural form adds texture and a strong vertical presence to shaded garden spaces.

Light

Partial shade to full shade

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Late summer to early fall

Find this plant

Works well in

Shade Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Specimen Plants
Pollinator Gardens

Companion plants

Skimmia · Japanese forest grass · Epimedium · Pieris · Trillium · Foamflower

Design tip

Plant this bold beauty where its dramatic foliage can brighten a shady corner or become the centerpiece of a woodland bed. Surround it with smaller shade-loving plants to create layers of texture and a garden that feels lush, inviting, and naturally balanced.