12 Striking Outdoor Plants With Really Big Leaves

If plants with big, bold, beautiful leaves are your thing, you’ve come to the right place! We adore garden plants with large leaves for the architectural presence they bring to our outdoor spaces. Oversized foliage naturally draws the eye. It can soften hardscapes and create a lush, tropical atmosphere in almost any climate. 

Outdoor plants with large leaves serve a practical function in addition to their ornamental value. They provide ground shade, which helps retain soil moisture. They also create a naturally grand backdrop that makes flowers and smaller plants stand out. 

In design, you can use outdoor plants with big leaves as focal points or anchor mixed borders. While many of our favorite plants with large foliage are tropical, there are quite a few that will thrive in cooler climates. By mixing these into the garden, you add visual drama and create aesthetic balance. 

Mixing plants with big leaves into the garden is a great way to make a bold statement. You can create a lush and abundant feeling and create balance with finer textures. Here are some of our favorite outdoor plants with big leaves to create a bold statement in your garden.

Apricot Frost Canna Lily

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Apricot Frost Canna Lily Bulbs

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Yellow Futurity Canna Lily

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Yellow Futurity Canna Lily Bulbs

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The President Canna Lily

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Big Leaf Ligularia 

	botanical name Ligularia dentata
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 2’-4’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Bigleaf ligularia is a bold perennial grown mainly for its big foliage. Its oversized, rounded to heart-shaped leaves can span 12 to 16 inches across. The dense clumps they form add lush texture to shaded or partially shaded areas of the garden. They prefer rich, moist soil and dappled or morning sunlight.

This outdoor plant has big leaves that are typically deep green. Sometimes they’re tinged with purple on the undersides. They have a slightly leathery surface that makes them pop among finer-textured plants. In mid to late summer, they send up tall flower stems topped with clusters of yellow blooms. They’re not only beautiful, they’re also a good food source for pollinators.  

Taro

	botanical name Colocasia esculenta
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3’-6’+
	hardiness zones 8-11

This species of Colocasia is an icon in the world of big-leaved outdoor plants. It’s an incredible addition to any tropical or sub-tropical garden. Here in zone 9, it dies back in the winter, but comes back bigger and more impressive every spring. The large, shield-shaped foliage is often called elephant ears because of its strong resemblance. 

Not only is this plant gorgeous, but it’s also an important food crop in its native range. It comes from eastern Asia, where many eat the root prepared in a similar manner to a potato. It loves moist soil and reaches six feet or taller under ideal conditions. 

Giant Taro

	botanical name Alocasia macrorrhizos
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 12’-15’
	hardiness zones 9-11

This one has a similar name to the last, and it has a similar appearance as well. However, giant taro is a type of Alocasia, rather than Colocasia. They are close relatives, but not the same genus. While Colocasia‘s big leaves point toward the ground, Alocasia‘s point upward to the sky. 

These incredible plants are too large to grow indoors, and you can only grow them outdoors in zones 9-11. For the lucky few, this plant grows up to 15 feet tall with leaves as large as six feet long! It loves warm, humid environments and rich, moist soil. 

Sacred Lotus

	botanical name Nelumbo nucifera
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3’-6’
	hardiness zones 4-11

The iconic sacred lotus is a gorgeous, outdoor, aquatic plant. It’s celebrated around the world for its beauty and cultural symbolism. This native to Asia has striking, big, round leaves that float or stand above water on tall stems. The blossoms are spectacular, too. Large, fragrant, and striking, this is as much a flower plant as a foliage plant. 

Lotus root is a staple in many Asian cuisines. The seeds are also edible. This plant grows in water, and it tends to be invasive, so it won’t work in every garden. If you’re able to grow it, though, it is a magical one!

Fiddle Leaf Fig 

	botanical name Ficus lyrata
	sun requirements Partial shade or bright indirect light
	height Up to 100’
	hardiness zones 10-12

The fiddle leaf fig is one of the most popular ornamental houseplants, but it’s also an outdoor plant with big leaves. In zones 10-12, you can grow this tree in the ground and enjoy its big leaves in your garden. The leaves are large and leathery with a glossy finish and prominent veining. 

If you’re growing one outside, lighting is the biggest issue for a fiddle leaf fig. They need a lot of bright, but indirect or dappled light. Direct sun will scorch their big, lovely leaves. A lack of light may leave you with yellow leaves that drop prematurely. 

Rice-Paper Plant

	botanical name Tetrapanax papyrifer
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4’-12’
	hardiness zones 8-11

The rice paper plant is a dramatic outdoor perennial shrub native to Taiwan and southern China. It’s prized in gardens for its big leaves and bold, tropical look. Its lobed leaves can grow up to two to three feet across. They’re held on long, upright stalks, creating an umbrella-like canopy. 

In warm climates, the rice paper plant grows into a large shrub or small tree. It’s often 8 to 15 feet tall and wide and spreads by underground runners. In colder climates, it may die back in winter but often regrows quickly from the roots. Its big leaves are green on top and fuzzy white underneath, giving them a soft, silvery glow when they’re disturbed. 

Castor Oil Plant

	botanical name Ricinus communis
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6’-10’
	hardiness zones 9-11

The castor oil plant is another outdoor plant with big leaves that looks great in the garden. The foliage can be deep green, burgundy, bronze, or purple. It has prominent veining, which adds even more texture and interest. It’s a fast grower, gaining up to ten feet of height in one season. 

For warm climates, the castor oil plant is a great way to create a fast impact in the garden. It likes rich soil and plenty of moisture, though it’s drought-tolerant once established. Be careful about the seeds, as they are highly poisonous. Always protect your skin when handling this big-leaved beauty. 

Bronzeleaf Rodgersia

	botanical name Rodgersia podophylla
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3’-5’
	hardiness zones 5-8

Broadleaf rodgersia is a shade-loving outdoor perennial known for its big, deeply veined leaves. It gives gardens a dramatic, tropical quality, even though it is cold-hardy to zone 5. It’s native to damp woodlands and stream edges in China. Its clumps of upright foliage can reach 2 to 3 feet across per leaf. 

The huge leaves emerge bronze in spring and mature to deep green in summer. In the fall, the leaves often develop coppery or reddish tones. In early summer, rodgersia produces tall, flower plumes in shades of creamy white or pale pink. The blooms attract pollinators and create a soft contrast to the plant’s hefty leaves. 

Butterbur

	botanical name Petasites hybridus
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 2’-4’
	hardiness zones 4-9

This is such a cool-looking outdoor plant with big leaves, and it thrives in a wide range of climates, making it one of the more versatile on the list. However, it’s highly invasive in the midwest, so be careful planting it outdoors if you live in this region. This outdoor perennial has enormous leaves that can be up to three feet across. They have a rounded heart shape and stand atop tall stems.

Butterbur likes moisture. It prefers moist habitats like pond edges and damp woodland areas. Under ideal conditions, it spreads quickly, forming large colonies. The foliage dies back in winter, and in spring, it flowers before it returns. The flowers resemble bottlebrushes and come in shades of pink, white, or lavender. 

Canna Lily

	botanical name Canna spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 18”-8’
	hardiness zones 6-10

Canna lilies are striking, tropical-looking outdoor plants with big, beautiful leaves and vibrant blooms. They grow easily in warm climates. In cooler climates, you can grow these outdoors and store the rhizomes indoors for the winter. They grow quickly, reaching their full height in a single season. 

Their foliage is similar to a banana plant. The long, broad, paddle-shaped leaves can be solid green, bronze, or variegated with shades of gold and red. These stunning flowering plants bring an instant tropical vibe to the garden. Some varieties only reach about a foot and a half tall, while others grow up to eight feet in one season.

Paperplant

	botanical name Fatsia japonica
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6’-19’
	hardiness zones 7-10

Paperplant is a favorite in warm-climate gardens for its big, hand-shaped leaves. The glossy, deeply lobed foliage is evergreen. This outdoor plant prefers at least partial shade and grows to a rounded shape that is usually between six and ten feet tall and wide. 

In late fall, paperplant produces clusters of creamy white flowers. They’re followed by small black berries and loved by pollinators for their late-season bloom time. It prefers rich, moist soil, but is low-maintenance once established. You can grow this one indoors, but it will stay much smaller. 

Giant Rhubarb

	botanical name Gunnera manicata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6’-10’
	hardiness zones 7-11

Giant rhubarb is one of the most dramatic foliage plants you can grow. It’s sometimes called the dinosaur plant because of its enormous leaves. These outdoor plants don’t just produce big leaves; they are positively colossal. The deeply lobed leaves can easily span four to six feet across.