Solomon's Seal and his relatives with lots of variety for shady places, even quite dry for some of them. Addictive if you like subtle green and brown plants with a bit of pink!
As you will see from a quick browse many of the Polygonatums look very different to the common cottage garden plant. This doesn't make them difficult to grow or needing different conditions, some of the narrow leafed species (particularly Polygonatum verticillatum) are actually easier to grow! You may also find that the narrow leafed forms are much less susceptible to the dreaded grey caterpillars of Solomon's Seal Sawfly.
The ideal conditions for moist forms are a good, humousy, soil that doesn't dry out in shade. Having said that the tougher species will grow in a much wider range of condidtions and will take summer drought in their stride as they die down by midsummer to re-emerge the following spring.
A dwarf form of one of the common American solomon's seals. Slightly pleated green leaves and clusters of cream bells with jade green tips. Scented. Decent soil in shade. 40cm.
An excellent, vigorous and floriferous selection collected in Russia in 1996 by the late Michael Wickenden. Grey green leaves and large creamy flowers in April/May. 90cm. Good soil in shade.
An excellent low growing Solomon's Seal with crisp green foliage and bright cream and jade green flared flowers in spring. Top plant. 30cm. Good soil in shade. Collected in the Elburz by Furze and Synge.
Upright stems with whorls of narrow leaves to 90cm. The clusters of narrow flowers appear in the leaf axils higher up the stems in late spring. Good, woodsy, soil in shade. Less attractive to sawfly.
A distinctly taller form of this narrow leafed species making upright stems to as much as 2.1m in good soil in shade. Masses of tawny flowers from the higher leaf axils in early summer. Hardy.
An elegant form which emerges with purple shoots that slowly turn green as the white and green flowers appear below the arch of the stems in late spring. 75cm. Good soil in light or part shade.
Elegant arching stems with whorls of narrow leaves equipped with tendril-tips that allow the plant to scramble. Clusters of purple flushed flowers in late spring. 1.2m. Shade.
