Variegated Solomon’s Seal Lightens Shade with Its Striped Leaves

Virtues: We love variegated Solomon’s seal for its lily-esque fragrance and showy flowers. This plant is easy to care for as well as deer and rabbit resistant. Perfect for shade gardens and cutting, with variegated leaves great for flower arrangements.

Common name: Variegated Solomon’s seal

Botanical name:Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum ‘Variegatum’

Flowers: Solomon’s seal has white, fragrant, bell-shaped flowers. The blooms are almost an inch long and hang along the bottom of the arched stems, often in pairs. After the plant blooms in late spring, the flowers are replaced with blue to black berries that hang below the leaf axils in the same fashion.

Foliage: The leaves are an ovate shape and are variegated—mostly mid- to light green with white tips and edges. The leaves turn yellow in the fall.

Habit:Polygonatum ‘Variegatum’ has a spreading growth habit and will grow at a moderate rate from 1 to 3 feet tall. This plant is an herbaceous perennial and works well in wild and woodland gardens.

Season: Spring through fall for foliage presence, and it blooms late spring to early summer.

How to grow it: Solomon’s seals require part to full shade and prefer rich, well-drained soil. It’s tolerant to drought, but thrives with moderate watering. Plant seeds in the fall, or divide the plants in spring or fall. Stratify seeds at 40˚F for six weeks before planting. USDA Zones 3-8.

Image: "Polygonatum odoratum2" by KENPEI - KENPEI's photo. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.