Solomon’s Seal
Polygonatum multiflorum and P. x hybridum
I first grew these many years ago and loved the way they looked after themselves once established and surprised me every year with their graceful form and subtle but beautiful flowers. Solomon’s seal is a rhizomatous perennial that likes a humus rich, fertile, moisture-retentive soil. Grow new plants by dividing old clumps in spring, or buy and plant out rhizomes in winter, 3cm below the surface of the soil, 25cm apart. Plants grow with lovely arching stems and glossy leaves, and creamy white and green bell-like flowers that hang pendulously below the stem. These are often followed by black berries. Cut back to ground level in late autumn and cover with compost or a small mound of fallen leaves to feed rhizomes when they reshoot in late winter.
