2013 Perennial Plant of the Year — Polygonatum o. 'Variegatum'
11/01/2012
Description
A classic beauty for the woodland garden, Solomon's Seal is grown mostly for its clean variegated, soft green foliage which turns yellow in fall. Standing about 18" tall and arching slightly at the top, the unbranched stems with large, alternate leaves support the dangling white flowers below. On quiet spring evenings, the flowers exude a subtle lily-like fragrance. The stems are beautiful in cut flower arrangements.
Landscape Uses
Solomon's Seal is very easy to grow as a groundcover or mass planting in part to full shade. It offers rare height for a shade ground cover, growing 18-24" tall in one season. It combines beautifully with ferns, hostas, Jacob's Ladder, Lungwort, and other shade perennials.
Culture
Solomon's Seal is a natural plant for the shady woodland garden, even tolerating heavy shade. Deep, rich, moist soil is best. Solomon's Seal is sometimes slow to establish itself, but is very long-lived and easy to maintain once it does. Plants may be divided in the spring or fall. The fleshy white tubers should be planted just below the soil surface with the stems pointing upwards when transplanting.
