Solomon's Seal (Native)

Smooth Solomon's seal is the native species of the eastern woods, found from Maine to Florida and west to the Plains. Its arching stems, 18 to 36 inches, hang pairs of small greenish-white bells beneath the leaves in spring, followed by blue-black berries, and the whole plant turns clear yellow in fall before it goes dormant. It spreads slowly by rhizome into a colony and fills shaded ground where many plants struggle.

It grows best in dappled to full shade with steady moisture and soil rich in leaf mould, and it tolerates dry shade under trees once established. Plant the rhizomes horizontally 2 inches deep in fall or early spring, 12 to 24 inches apart, with the growing tip up. Divide established clumps in fall every few years to control spread or to propagate; the rhizomes are easy to cut into pieces with a bud each.

Bumblebees are the main pollinators of the hanging bells, and the berries feed birds. The plant is deer resistant, though not deer proof where pressure is heavy. It pairs with ferns, wild ginger and foamflower, where the arching line shows against lower leaves. The European species sold as Solomon's seal is similar; the giant form, Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum, reaches 5 feet.