We love Cast Iron plant because it’s super easy to look after and care for, and almost indestructible! Aspidistra is highly adapted for deep dark and requires watering only when completely dry. This plant can live in the dark for over a month without water!
Cast Iron plant is a slow grower, this is an advantage because you will know that it will fit the space chosen for it for a long time!
If you want a companion for life, Cast Iron Plant ‘Aspidistra’ can live for up to 50 years! It can even be passed through generations!
Aspidistra tolerates dust as well as heat, cold, wet soil, drought, neglect, and dimly lighted places.
Generally Pest Free.
Not only this, but aspidistra is child & pet friendly as it is not considered toxic.

Aspidistra: The name originates from ancient Greek for small round shields, in reference to the shape of its stigma.

The common name Cast Iron Plant comes from its ability to withstand neglect and difficult growing conditions, it is one of the hardiest houseplants. Aspidistra is also called the ‘Bar-Room Plant’ because of its ability to withstand spittoon conditions.

The aspidistra was massively popular in Victorian times because it easily tolerated the poor light and air quality of 19th-century homes.



George Orwell titled one of his novels ‘To Keep the Aspidistra Flying, published in 1936, using the popular Cast Iron houseplant to represent middle-class English status.

The plant also appeared in music hall routines, such as Gracie Fields’ The biggest aspidistra in the world ‘1938’, which in turn inspired the British Secret Service to name its 600-kilowatt transmitter, built during World War 2 to disrupt enemy communication, Aspidistra.

If you are looking for easy-to-care-for plants but don’t want a cactus? The Cast Iron Plant is the next best option! It will thrive even with neglect! They’ve built up that tolerance for poor conditions by growing in the shade under larger trees in China and Vietnam. Their resilience has made them an extremely popular houseplant because anybody can care for one.

Fuchsia (Fuchsia), Columbine (Aquilegia), Foam Flower (Tiarella), Flax Lily (Dianella), Sarcococca (Sarcococca)