Please help me choose polygonatums

I moved from a full sun to a mostly shade garden, and many plants made the transition quite seamlessly, like epimediums and bergenias, several kinds of ferns, and geraniums. But I have been adding more purely shade plants (wintergreen is fantastic if you acidify the soil), shrubs that can handle shade, and the like. But the one thing I never tried at home is Solomon's seal. It looks fabulous, but when I started researching it, I found that there are a LOT of them. I'm not sure whether I want large or small, variegated or not, and I have some concerns about aggressive spreading.

Then I remembered that many of you probably grow them. Would you please share your experiences, so that I can add this gorgeous thing to my garden? And if you have any pictures of them in your yard and suggestions for suppliers, that would be a bonus!

Thanks!

Well, I was hoping someone else would post pics and give a more knowledgable reply than I can. I love this plant. We have some at our NC cabin that can get 4' tall or more. Here in GA I have smaller varieties. They can be agressive although I don't find them difficult to control. Still, I'm just getting a feel for them in my garden. I'm so used to seeing them wild and I realized when I went out to take pictures, that I'm not displaying mine in the best way possible. Part of the problem for me is that I moved a lot of them to a new area last year and I decided just last week that I needed to remove some. I find them easy to pull up. These have all finished flowering. I do hope someone else responds so maybe I can learn something.

Thank you so much. This is really incredibly helpful. I have never seen a picture that showed HOW they spread, which your first one illustrates beautifully. I can also see that I very much like the variegated ones. And knowing that they are easy to pull up is very helpful.

Those were two of my primary concerns. Thank you so much.

Donna

Hi Donna. I've been out of town, so waited 'til back to my computer to answer.
I actually love the common polygonatum odoratum variegatum as pictured by Back40Bean above.
I have honestly struggled to grow it ... I think I've got it too deep shade.
But I've seen it in lots of other gardens and it looks great.
The polygonatum odoratum I love the best is called 'Chollipo'.
It has beautiful rich pleated leaves. Also has reddish stems which stand out nicely. Pics #1 & 2.
I also like polygonatum humile as a small ground cover - only a couple inches high.
I have also been experimenting with a couple small polygonatums which require sharp drainage.
I have them in an experimental 'rock garden', which means a hypertufa container w/ sharp drainage.
I only have experience from one year's growth, but so far, they look great.
Polygonatum hookeri and polygonatum graminiflrolium. Flowers are similar, but very beautiful.
I look forward to seeing how they do in subsequent years.
I have lots(!) of others too recently planted, so I can't give much of an assessment yet.
The disporums and disporopsis are related and I am experimenting with a number of them as well.
I say go for it and just try anything that sounds interesting!

Wow, I like that Polygonatum hookeri. At our cabin, as I said, they are large, but they also are more sparse. They are such a beautiful arching plant, especially when dangling the flowers below. These I have in GA might look better in a place where they are not so vigorous. Or maybe I just need to pay more attention to them.

Oh, I think that 'Chollipo' is absolutely stunning! And I very much like variegatum. I'm pleased that these are planted in fall, since it gives me some time. I have some peonies that I put in a little too much shade, and I am lifting them and this is an opportunity (often, disasters and mistakes are opprtunities to install something else) to put in a plant I have admired for years.

Thank you both.

Donna

Thank you again to everyone here. I have moved the errant peonies and ordered a pair of variegatum. I read that they are preferably installed in fall, so I asked Hallson's Garden (from which I got incredible geranium striatums and ladies mantle earlier in the yard) to send me an email when they were back in stock. They informed me yesterday, and a couple of these wonderful plants are on the way.

It must seem routine to all of you who have always had shade, but this is the first time I have had anything less than 90% shade, and I am really enjoying it!

Thanks again.

Donna

Donna I recieved these solomon sealls in a trade. I have lost the marker but I belive they are a japanese strain? I like the varigation around the leaves they are very tall. They are not really invasive. I have had them about 5 years. I started with only two. I really enjoy them. Ronna

I believe that is what I purchased! It looks like variegatum. They are lovely! I ordered two plants, but inadvertently turned them into three with my handling of them. I put them in, watered them once, as instructed, and then marked their location with chopsticks. I love the chopsticks as markers of plants that are invisible upon installation, like peonies, or go completely dormant, like mertensia.

Great to know that you stared with two! Thank you for sharing your wonderful and encouraging information.