What Plants Are Similar to the Fatsia Japonica?

For Shady Sites

• If you wish to fill in a shaded site with a fatsia-like species, plant a camellia (Camellia japonica). This evergreen shrub, hardy in zones 7 through 9, grows best in partial shade and acidic, organic soil. It reaches heights of 8 to 15 feet with a 10-foot spread and has dense, dark, glossy foliage. The Alba Plena, Lady Vansittart, Mabel Bryan and Silver Waves cultivars produce white blossoms in spring. The aucuba (Aucuba japonica) grows best in shaded sites with rich, moist, well-draining soil. This slow-growing evergreen is hardy in zones 7 through 10. It reaches heights of up to 10 feet and spreads of as much as 6 feet. It has dense, 8-inch, leathery foliage and produces inconspicuous flowers and fruits. Aucubas tolerate drought and heavy shade.

For Dry Sites

• If you live in a dry region, plant fatsia-like shrubs that tolerate drought. The eleagnus (Elaeagnus x ebbingii) grows to 10 feet tall with a similar spread. Eleagnus is hardy in USDA zones 7 through 9. The dense shrubs have shiny, silver to gray-green foliage and produce whitish yellow flowers in early summer and edible drupes in autumn. Eleagnus shrubs tolerate drought and salt and grow best in sun to partial shade and sandy or loamy soils. The oleander (Nerium oleander) is hardy in zones 8 through 11 and grows to 12 feet tall with a 10-foot spread. This upright shrub has 5-inch dark foliage and blooms with fragrant white, pink, red or purple flowers. Oleanders tolerate drought, salt, heat, air pollution and severe pruning, and they thrive in partial shade and well-draining soil.

For a Tropical Look

• Match fatsia’s tropical appearance with the banana shrub (Michelia figo), which has dark, glossy foliage and produces fragrant, cup-shaped flowers in spring. This slow-growing, dense evergreen reaches heights of 10 feet with a similar spread and is hardy in zones 7 through 9. Banana shrubs tolerate drought and severe pruning. They thrive in partial shade and acidic, rich, well-drained soil. The pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana) grows quickly to 10 feet tall and wide. It is hardy in zones 8 through 10. This dense shrub blooms with white-red flowers and produces edible green, red and yellow fruits. It tolerates a range of site conditions, including salt, sand and clay, and thrives in sun to partial shade.

For Cooler Sites

• Though fatsias thrive in warmer climates, some fatsia-like shrubs grow well in cooler regions. The spreading euonymous (Euonymus kiautschovicus) is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8 and grows to 10 feet tall with a 6-foot spread. This rounded shrub has dark, glossy foliage with toothed edges and produces spikes of white-green flowers in summer. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil and sun to partial shade. The holly tea olive (Osmanthus heterophyllus) prefers rich, well-drained, moist, acidic soils and thrives in partially shaded sites. It grows to 10 feet tall with an equal spread and is hardy in zones 6 through 9. It has dense, dark, shiny foliage with spiny tips and blooms in fall with aromatic white flowers, followed by blue-black fruits. It tolerates drought, heat and severe pruning.