Leucosceptrum japonicum Golden Angel

Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel', also known as the Japanese bush mint, is neither a mint nor a bush, but a beautiful perennial plant from the Lamiaceae family. In the cool shade of woodland, it forms a regular, dense clump with stems that bear abundant foliage, which is golden in spring and later turns chartreuse green. Its discreet flowering takes place in autumn, in the form of upright white to pale-yellow inflorescences. It is a hardy plant that thrives in shade. Planted in cool, well-drained soil, it becomes more beautiful and lush year after year.

Leucosceptrum japonicum is a cousin of mints, with which it shares square-shaped stems. It is native to the mountainous forest areas of Honshu, Japan. It is an herbaceous and rhizomatous plant that forms a clump of leafy stems reaching 60cm (24in) in height and slowly spreads laterally, up to 1.5m (5ft) in diameter. The large leaves are arranged opposite each other on the stems. They are oblong-lanceolate, measuring 10 to 20cm (4 to 8in) in length and 3 to 8cm (1 to 3in) in width, with toothed edges. In this variety, the dense and regular foliage is a beautiful golden yellow at the beginning of the season, gradually turning light green. The flowering occurs in October, at the tip of each stem, in the form of upright spikes composed of tiny flowers that are whitish-yellow with prominent stamens.

Despite its common name, it is not edible!

Leucosceptrum japonicum is a beautiful plant for cool shade that is still not widely cultivated in our gardens, despite its many qualities. This lovely perennial naturally pairs well with Keiskea japonica, Isodon longituba, painted ferns, and Farfugium japonicum, all plants that add charm to the woods in the land of the rising sun. Its golden foliage particularly complements the blue flowers of forget-me-nots, brunnera, corydalis, the variegated foliage of hostas, and the beautiful yellow daisies of ligularias like Ligularia 'Desdemona'.