A good friend of mine from another gardening site sent me a root to plant as a new home gift last fall. I am so happy it likes it's new home and I hope it spreads all over because it's so graceful.
This is a plant that I'm going to get for my own garden as soon as I can make a space for it. Yours looks really strong and healthy and I hope they spread for you the way you want them to.
I grow Solomon Seal too. Mine are about 2 feet tall. I understand that there are S. Seals that are close to 6 feet tall!!
I grow it too, and I can tell you--it WILL spread all over. It is a graceful plant to look at. I have seen butterflies and bumblebees on the blooms.
I never realized there were so many different varieties. I'll have to look into getting more. lol I've seen the false solomon's seal in the woods before, very pretty too. I'm happy to know that it will spread. I always liked plants that like to multiply like crazy.
What a surprise Cayuga. Mine is so tough as I don't know what. It spreads a little too quickly and freely for me and every two years I have to dig up a bunch of the tuberous roots. Well, as Palustris said--there are several varieties, so perhaps we have different varieties, you and I. You mentioned that you have a bit of trouble with yours...You know, where they grow normally is in the woods and forests where the soil is a bit acid and certainly humusy. What you could try to do is to replicate the natural area in which they grow. ---Locate the Sols in a place that gets quite a bit of shade, as they will the do a bit better. ---Just dig a quite large hole, perhaps a yard long x 3/4 of a yard wide x a foot or so deep. You do not necessarily have to do this; however, if you do, your chances of success will be better. ---Break up the soil in the bottom of the pit or add a layer of sand about two of your fingers thick... so that water can drain well. ---Fill the pit with humus that you dig up out in some woods or buy some in sacks from the garden centre and then fill the pit up with that. You then plant your Sol tubers in that. If you have leaf mould mix some of that in as well. If you do not have any, make some this fall for use the following year or so. ---Just water this area with non-tap water somewhat frequently--especially in the hottest part of summer. ---Cover with a thick mulch of bark chips and in the winter dead leaves from trees. ---Once the Sols establish, you will not have to baby them so much in the years to come (unless you plant them in the full sun). As I said,--mimicking the milieu where the plants naturally grow is what you are trying to do here. I really want you be be successful, Cayuga. Wishing you good success with this. There may be other techniques and preferences, but my suggestions are based upon where I have seen them growing in the wild and how I planted and grow them myself. I do not want to give you the impression that my method is the only method.
Sjoerd, My Solomon Seals are in a bed along side my garage. It gets morning sun, but that's it. I am due to rehab that bed this year. I will take a look at the soil around the Sols & improve it as you suggest. Thanks for the tips.
I love Solomans Seal! I have a variegated one at moms house. Sadly, the place Im planning to move to doesnt get enough shade for it -_- Sad!
I too love Soloman's Seal. The very first time I acquired this plant was some years ago when I worked in a nursery. A co worker and I were cleaning and he gave me a gallon container with soil, but no apparent plant growing. He told me it was a Soloman's Seal and I should take it home and plant it in a shady place. So I did, and pretty soon there were a couple shoots. It sat like that for a few years, and then when I was packing up to move away; I dug it up to come along. It liked its second home better, and began to multiply. I still have the original, and have divided it several times. I even have some that gets sun, and it still does well. I reccomend it as an addition to any shady garden!
I just checked Solomon's Seal and, it and false Solomon's Seal, both and they need acidic to neutral soil. My soil is alkaline 7.9 so I don't think they would make it or would just limp along. There's a number of plants I've tried and some just won't make it.
