Available in iridescent purple, silver, pink and green varieties, Persian shield adds a dash of elegance to any landscape.
Photo by L.A. Jackson
When it comes to plants with colorful foliage, being elegant without banging on the gates of gaudy can be a fine line. One plant that does this delicate dance well is Persian shield (Strobilanthes dverianus), which, in spite of its stately name—and looks—is no stranger to local nurseries and big-box garden centers.
Iridescent purple, silver, pink and green—these are the shimmering shades cast in a low glow on 6-inch, lance-shaped leaves that announce the restrained yet regal presence of Persian shield, which actually hails from Myanmar (formerly Burma) instead of the Middle East. Being from the tropics, it loves heat and humidity—two things Southeast Asia and summertime South Carolina have in common.
As a tender perennial, Persian shield might survive typical winters in the Lowcountry, but probably not elsewhere in the state, where options are to simply treat it as an annual or make it a potted portable that can be brought indoors during the cold months. Personally, I do neither, preferring instead to take autumnal cuttings that can be easily rooted in water and overwintered inside.
Morning sun intensifies Persian shield’s colors, but some light shade in the hottest afternoon heat—along with regular watering—will pamper this pretty through the long summer season. To further help Persian shield tolerate dry, scorching days, enrich its planting site with such moisture-retentive ingredients as quality commercial garden soil or compost. Adding these organic improvements will also fluff the growing ground up and prevent constantly soggy conditions that can cause root rot.
Persian shield will grow in shadier gardens, but not necessarily upward. Under ideal conditions, it tops out at around 4 feet tall, but in areas where the sun is a stranger, the soft limbs will weaken as they stretch for more light, causing flop. For some gardeners, this makes for a dramatic, vibrant flow of multicolored flora. For others, it looks like a drunken plant.
To tame Persian shield’s tottering, pinch back its branch tips late in the spring to create a more compact, fuller plant with shorter stems that are less likely to instigate any stagger. Watering with a balanced fertilizer solution once a month through the summer will also make for a sturdier, prettier plant.
Finally, don’t worry about deer or rabbits taking a culinary interest in your Persian shield—it is not on their “Most Preferred” list.
June in the Garden
• Watch for leaf galls—ugly, deformed bumps—on azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. Pick off and trash any that you find. Do not compost them.
• To encourage the developing roots of new plantings to penetrate far down into the soil, water thoroughly when it’s time to irrigate. Plants with shallow roots are much more susceptible to stress during the hottest, driest times of the growing season.
Tip of the Month
If you find the foliage of your carrot, parsley, fennel or dill plants being munched on by rather large green caterpillars with black stripes and yellow dots, don’t be so quick to reach for the bug spray. These are the immature forms of the black swallowtail butterfly. Instead of using insecticides on such beauties-to-be, consider growing more of their favorite plants than you need for yourself. Then, designate some to be sacrificial suppers, so when you find any of these caterpillars on “your” plants, simply relocate them onto “their” plants to feast upon so they can bulk up and eventually fly away as pretty butterflies.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.