Polygonatum 2012

[Hoy]

My Polygonatums and Maianthemums as well haven't leafed out yet. The progress is slow with the cold nights we still have. We ought to have a Maianthemum thread too!

[Afloden]

 Polygonatum lasianthum purpureum that I have seen (Northern Lights and another cultivar) are actually P. amabile from Japan. What distinguishes it are the perianth and filaments, leaves undulate, and the pale mid-rib of the leaf.

 I am not sure if I have true kingianum. The red form will get another name, or rather, like so many, its old name back. Falcatum -silver stripe is easy, but so slow to get started. After 10 years I finally have a half dozen stems (and a pot of one year old seedlings crossed with a wild collected falcatum).

 Aaron

[ErnieC123]

Polygonatum lasianthum purpureum that I have seen (Northern Lights and another cultivar) are actually P. amabile from Japan. What distinguishes it are the perianth and filaments, leaves undulate, and the pale mid-rib of the leaf.

 I am not sure if I have true kingianum. The red form will get another name, or rather, like so many, its old name back. Falcatum -silver stripe is easy, but so slow to get started. After 10 years I finally have a half dozen stems (and a pot of one year old seedlings crossed with a wild collected falcatum).

 Aaron

Thanks a lot

[Tim Ingram]

Our garden has always seemed too dry for many of these later growing woodlanders but we do have a small plant of Polygonatum x hybridum 'Betberg' with its extraordinary dark leaves. I hope it will begin to increase!

[ErnieC123]

Tim, i like 'Betberg' too, but it's getting more green now, so a little of its flair walks away. Do you know how fast 'Betberg' spreads?
I bought my plant a few weeks ago with two stems. I have great expectations for that cultivar.

[McDonough]

Tim, Polygonatum x hybridum 'Betberg'  is wonderful!  I imagine a mature multi-stemmed clump would make a bold impression in the garden.

[Hoy]

Polygonatum verticillatum(?) and friends.  The individual plant spreads and multiplies, but never gets very tall.  From a potted acquisition, in the four full seasons I have had it, it has not flowered.        

No flowers yet but buds on my Polygonatum verticillatum. This is the real, native thing!

[ncole]

I love that 'Betberg' also...hope I can find one around here. 

[McDonough]

Bought this Polygonatum at a local NARGS New England Chapter plant auction, labeled as P. mandshuricum, although I can not find any reference to such a species, no names that are even close.  Any one know know what species it might be.  It is described as very low growing and somewhat aggressive spreading.

[Schier]

Interesting to see all of these Polygonatum - I have, for one - a P.falcatum 'Variegatum' which I've had for several years, but the poor thing has been moved twice, and worse yet, now in it's permanent place I have managed to step on it just when it's coming up two years in a row. It must be jinxed! Yet, it still manages to come up, and is now well marked. It's always late in coming up, and I don't blame it, it's probably scared.
I also have a Polygonatum biflorum which I wanted for so long, and just last year it started making some headway, it grew to oh, maybe just under a metre.  I'm growing it in a shady woodland area so it does come up late as well.  I'll take some photos when it's up and growing.

[Afloden]

Mark,
 
 That "mandshuricum" is the Chinese mainland form of P. humile. Hard to believe that it is the same as the smaller, more attractive, glossy leaved plant in cultivation. I have been unable to track down where the material in cultivation originated, but it seems the coastal Japanese plant is very unlike the Chinese/Korean plant. Maybe DNA will help.

 Aaron

[Hoy]

Polygonatum multiflorum is naturalised in my woodland - the slugs don't like it! Bad pictures but it is very shady underneath the rhododendron canopy.

[stephenb]

I had this as Polygonatum humile but was told it was too large (at up to about 20 cm), but I see in this thread that it comes in different sizes. Hope someone can confirm or otherwise.

Thanks

[Afloden]

Stephen,

 Looks like the China mainland form. The Japanense/Korean island's plant is much smaller. Smell the flowers when the open, they should smell like cinnamon.

 

[Hoy]

The first flowers have opened on a plant which is very similar to P verticillatum. The leaves have another colour though and the plant is much bigger.

The first two are the unknown, the third is verticillatum.

     



I have also a pink one, bought from Larz Danielsson in Sweden as sp from China!