Solomon's seal is a shade-tolerant perennial grown for its arching stems and rows of small, bell-shaped flowers that hang beneath the foliage in spring. It spreads slowly by rhizome to form colonies, making it useful for filling woodland borders and shaded areas where many plants struggle.
It grows best in dappled or full shade with consistent soil moisture. Plant rhizomes horizontally a few inches deep in fall or early spring. The plant goes dormant by late summer or early fall, with foliage turning yellow before dying back. Divide established clumps in fall every few years if you want to control spread or propagate.
Polygonatum Leaf Spot
Brown to purplish spots on leaves, sometimes with yellow halos, that enlarge and merge in wet weather, causing premature leaf drop.
Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering. Remove and destroy affected leaves and clear fallen debris in fall. Apply a copper-based fungicide if spotting is severe and recurring.
Solomon's Seal Sawfly
Grey-white larvae with dark heads feed on leaf undersides, stripping foliage to bare midribs and leaving stems skeletonized by midsummer.
Inspect leaf undersides from late spring and remove larvae by hand. Knock larvae into soapy water or apply spinosad if infestation is heavy. Plants usually recover the following year even after full defoliation.