Polygonatum 2012

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. ???

Thanks Ernie for starting this topic, it's such an interesting and ornamental group of plants.  I only have a few, but they are so endearing based on their form and foliage.  At our annual NARGS New England Chapter rare plant auction, several Polygonatum species auctioned for sky-high prices :)  I bid on several of them, but my wallet said no in each case, except for one that was termed as aggressive which I bought for $5  (can't remember the name, will need to check in daylight).

Rick, P. virticillatum looks nice, how tall does it grow? Whenever dealing with these plants, one must answer "how aggressively does it spread".

My P. verticillatum(?) only gets to be about two feet, but I know Trond's grows much larger - something like double the height, I think(?) ???

What's the horizontal rate of spread?

RickR wrote:

Polyganatum 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. ???

             

Rick, i am not quiet sure , but i have the worry that it isn't a P.verticillatum!
I have taken some pictures of my Polygonatum vert.'Himalayan Giant' so you can compare.
It is also taller than yours and much more vital.

I don't want to make you unhappy, but here is a pictures of the buds.

I hope it helps you a little.

Crug Farm has some nice Polygonatum !
Here is the link:
http://mailorder.crug-farm.co.uk/default.aspx?alpha=P

Some other Polygonatum

P.falcatum

P.falcatum 'Variegatum'

Polygonatum biflorum (Syn.P.commutatum, P.giganteum)

Polygonatum humile (left) and Polygonatum humile 'Nanum' (right)

Polygonatum multiflorum var. ramosum (spectactular!!!)

Polygonatum odoratum (angular stem)

Polygonatum roseum

My original plant of P. verticillatum(?) came from the Flower Factory in Wisconsin. They are reputable, but don't grow all of their plant materials themselves.  Mark, you see the whole plant there, and from a 1.5 quart pot with five stalks when planted, this is its fifth season.  It grows in filtered sun under an Autumn Brilliance serviceberry (Amelanchier cultivar).

Thanks for all the photos, Ernie.  For me at least, non-flowering descriptions are just as important as flowering or fruiting.  A plant's entire growth cycle is interesting to me.

Ernie, you could be right about a misnaming.  I was going to say that, given its small size for the species verticillatum, that it would seem reasonable for it not yet to have flowered.  But...  I just went out and checked it again, and several stalks have tiny flower buds. 8)  This pic taken just now, the tallest stalk is 17 inches.  The previous pic was taken on 24 April.  With flowers this season, I'll have a better chance of keying it out.  

McDonough wrote:

What's the horizontal rate of spread?

I would call it a normal rate of spread, my P.vert.'Himalayan Giant' (or whatever[Aaron might tell me:-)]) is spreaded about 15cm in three years, maybe because i move it two times in this short time.

Afloden wrote:

Falcatum variegatum = odoratum under current taxonomy.
the falcatum looks more like macranthum (an even better slower plant)
verticillatum from the Himalaya's with pale pink flowers will have its old name back at some point as it is not verticillatum from Europe
verticillatum from Europe has always been slow for me and usually gets just over a foot without flowers.

Aaron,I am sorry for my bad taxonomy! But my priority is mostly that i like the plants and then there is the will of correct taxonomy.
I am really irritated why so many plants that are on market are misnamed. I honor your plantknowledge as i do honor Marks plant knowledge. Thanks to you all for opening my eyes :-)
And Aaron i will post some other Polygonatum and you are welcome to correct my taxonomy.
What is my P.vert.'Himalayan Giant' ?

Thank you Aaron! And i divided of a big piece of the P.macranthum for a friend. It grows and grows.
I like the pictures you made on srgc! Some lovely ones!!!
I like the P.falcatum 'Silverstripe', P.cyrtonema 'Purpleleaf', kingianum tall form (what gorgeous flowers!), but i don't have those pretty ones.
Aaron, have you heard of P.lasianthum 'Purpureum' ??? I felt in love with a picture i found from that cultivar.
I will put all of them on my wishlist, but i think it will not be easy to get them:-(

RickR wrote:

My P. verticillatum(?) only gets to be about two feet, but I know Trond's grows much larger - something like double the height, I think(?) ???

Depends on the soil and moisture. They love moist soil. But they flower every year  ;)

McDonough wrote:

What's the horizontal rate of spread?

The rate of spread isn't very quick (10cm/year or so) but steady. In some years it fill all available space.

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 wrote:

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

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!

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.

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

RickR wrote:

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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

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!

Awesome!  Thanks Aaron, you're certainly off to a great start with those pages.  Have only had a brief look around so far, will peruse it in greater detail over the weekend.  Who knew that such treasures as the tiny Disporopsis jinfushanensis existed, you've got me hooked on these wonderful plants.

The site is really well organized and cleanly presented, congratulations!

Hi Aaron, seems it is quite a while since I visited this thread! Thank you for your suggestions.
The only Polygonatum I can provide with a known provenance is P. verticillatum. But surely you have lots of it?

I remember seeing "Double Stuff" Polygonatum last season (on-line) (I think it is a Terra Nova introduction). In any event I never saw it in a "mortar and bricks" nursery here in Canada and I am wondering if this plant really exists ;). Is there really much to distinguish it from other variegated Solomon's Seal?

A local nurseryman, Leo Blanchette (Carlisle. MA) grows a great number of Polygonatum, including the many named forms of odoratum.  One that he selected as a nursery seedling, is named P. odoratum 'Carlisle'. In my opinion it is the best form out there, not only for the beautiful and ample variegation, but for its low stature (14-16").  For those who are fans of variegated Polygonatum, rate 'Carlisle' as good as, if not better than 'Double Stuff'.  Take a look at many desirable and unique Polygonatum odoratum forms at Plant Delights Nursery, including 'Double Stuff'.  This cultivar was only introduced commercially in 2011, thus probably still hard to come by.

Polygonatum at Plant Delights Nursery:
http://www.plantdelights.com/Polygonatum/products/299/

P. odoratum 'Carlisle' bed at Joe Pye Weed's Garden & nursery, run by breeders of extraordinary Siberian Iris, Marty Schafer, and Jan Sacks, nearby here in Massachusetts, http://www.jpwflowers.com/

P. odoratum 'Carlisle' in my garden 2011, has not spread yet.

P. odoratum 'Carlisle', autumn color:

McDonough wrote:

A local nurseryman, Leo Blanchette (Carlisle. MA) grows a great number of Polygonatum,

I notice that Blanchette Gardens is closing this season.

McDonough wrote:

One that he selected as a nursery seedling, is named P. odoratum 'Carlisle'. In my opinion it is the best form out there,

Very nice pics. Thank you. I would imagine that this variety might never see the light of day outside of the US?

McDonough wrote:

Take a look at many desirable and unique Polygonatum odoratum forms at Plant Delights Nursery, including 'Double Stuff'.  This cultivar was only introduced commercially in 2011, thus probably still hard to come by.

I have yet to see it in Ontario Canada :(.

McDonough wrote:

P. odoratum 'Carlisle', autumn color:

Thanks for including that picture...very nice.

I am no fan of variegated plants in general but that 'Carlisle' looks very handsome though!

Lis, I don't grow it in the garden as it is a native plant here (however I am planning to move it into the garden). It is abundant at my summerhouse where it seems to prefere growing in crevices in the rocks where it is abundant water in the spring but drier later i the summer. When some of the plants have their roots deep in the crevice they make huge mats on very shallow soil, like this:

I forgot to say it takes some shade too like in an open wood.

Today I picked up a Polygonatum with the advertised name of "'Gao Dan Bai".

Here are a couple of pictures of it that I took just before planting.

(Doing a search I see no mention of it except from the one nursery from which I bought it! Might it go by a different name?)