Plant Encyclopedia

Other Names:  Japanese Solomon's Seal

Description:

A woodland must with pleated deep green leaves and dangling tubular flowers borne under the leaves, followed by bluish-black inedible fruit; great for shady rock gardens and woodlands

Ornamental Features

Solomon's Seal features dainty lightly-scented nodding white bell-shaped flowers dangling from the stems in late spring. Its glossy pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season. The fruits are showy indigo drupes displayed in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes

Solomon's Seal is a dense herbaceous perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Solomon's Seal is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Solomon's Seal will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 20 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by division.