Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Polygonatum / Solomon’s Seal
This do-er seems to thrive anywhere gardeners put it. Woodland? No problem. Ditto for full sun. The green+white variegated type is the most popular and deservedly so — it really brightens up the shade garden.
The 60+ Polygonatum species include natives of Asia, Europe and North America.
Details
- Lovely dangling white flowers in spring.
- 2' to 3' tall.
- They spread by underground stolons to fill in large areas.
Care
- It's so drought-tolerant and pest-free, it needs (and gets) no care at all from me and looks terrific.
- To keep them in check, remove outlyers (unwanted offspring) in early spring. (Plants moved later in the season won't stand up at all.)
Good Information in Print
- The Well Tended Perennial Garden
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is the best-selling book on how to make your perennials healthier and better-looking. - Encyclopedia of Perennials
by Graham Rice is exhaustive and an outstanding general resource on the subject. - The Complete Flower Gardener
by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.
Location Matters
I grow Solomon's Seal in the Washington, D.C. area, Zone 7A. If you've grown it and have comments you'd like to see included here, send 'em along — and tell me where you garden.