From the moist forest openings and grassy slopes of south-central China comes one of the most visually striking groundcovers available for the shaded garden. Asarum splendens grows to eight inches tall, slowly filling a foot and a half of space by producing offsets from underground rhizomes, and its foliage is the reason to grow it: large, arrow-shaped leaves of deep green overlaid with striking silvery variegation that remains consistent through the growing season. In a shaded woodland border, the effect is quietly dramatic.

The bell-shaped flowers are brown to purple and open at soil level in spring — characteristic of the genus, and characteristically easy to miss unless you make a point of looking. This is an evergreen or semi-evergreen plant, which gives it a structural role through winter in sheltered spots, but wind and direct sun will cause leaf scorch; a site protected from both is essential. It is worth knowing that the plant spreads with some determination and can be difficult to remove once established — container growing or clearly defined edges are sensible precautions. Propagate by division, plant with the crown level to the soil surface, and give it the consistently moist, neutral to acidic conditions it would find on a Chinese forest slope.