The Master Gardener: Solomon’s seal a great all-season choice

Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum ssp.) is an impressive, all-season shade garden plant. From the first pointy sprouts in early spring to the patterns made by the bleached-out stems in early winter, there’s always something to enjoy. White bells appear under the curved stem even before the leaves fully unfurl; summer foliage is lushly green, and fall color spectacularly yellow.

The tall and stately common solomon’s seal (P. multiflorum) is an easy-to-find starter plant. I also like the smaller, scented version (P. odoratum), a white-edged, sometimes also white-streaked variety. Both are members of the lily family (Liliaceae), a group of plants with parallel-veined leaves, and flower parts that come in multiples of three. A number of other members of this family also do well in my predominantly shady garden.

Our native western false solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum/Smilacena racemosa), is about half the size of the common solomon’s seal, and produces a charming plume of tiny flowers at the tip of the plant stalk. The flowers of another native variety, the star-flowered false solomon’s seal (Maiantemum stellatum/Smilacena stellata), are star-shaped, and seem to float above the leaves along the upper curved stem.

I like both of these as groundcover under native shrubs, and so do the quail, who rustle through foliage that’s just the right height to hide them from view and still let them feast on the berries that appear by late summer.

Fairy bells are also lily family members, and I like our native white Hooker’s fairy bells (Disporum hookerii), with stems that branch once or twice and one or two delicate bells hanging from the tip. Last year I added a yellow Korean fairy bell (Disporum flavum) which looks a little less ethereal, with thicker stems and larger flowers. Both are totally charming and ideal for woodland gardens.

Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria spp.) is a relative, too. The scented flower stalks of tiny white bells are at their best this month. A warning, though – it’s extremely invasive, with creeping roots that burrow down to amazing depths. It’s best planted in a confined spot from which it can’t escape.