Solomon's seal is one of the most elegant plants for shaded and woodland gardens. The arching stems, 18 to 36 inches long, hang paired, pendulous white bells tipped with green along their length in spring, and the whole plant asks for almost nothing. The tips push through the soil around the time the last frost passes and unfurl into the characteristic arching form within weeks.
Give it part to full shade and humus-rich soil that holds moisture; it tolerates dry shade under trees once established, which few flowering perennials do. It spreads slowly by rhizome into a colony and can be divided in early spring or after the leaves yellow in fall. Deer generally leave it alone.
The foliage is the second act: the leaves turn clear yellow in autumn, and blue-black berries follow the flowers. Bumblebees are the main pollinators of the hanging bells. Plant it with ferns, hostas and wild ginger, where the arching line shows against lower, broader leaves. The berries and plant are not edible.
Botrytis (grey mould)
Grey fuzzy mould on petals and stems, worst in cool wet conditions.
Remove affected parts immediately. Improve air circulation. Avoid overhead watering. Apply copper fungicide if severe.
Rust
Orange to brown raised pustules on the undersides of leaves, with yellow spotting on the upper surface. Heavy infections cause leaves to yellow and drop.
Remove and destroy infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering and improve air circulation. Apply a sulfur or copper-based fungicide if it spreads. Clear plant debris in fall.
Fungal leaf spot
Brown or purplish spots on the leaves, often ringed with a yellow halo, that spread and merge in warm, humid, or wet weather; heavily spotted leaves yellow and drop early.
Pick off spotted leaves and clear fallen debris to remove overwintering spores. Improve air circulation by thinning, and water at the base so foliage dries quickly. If it persists, apply a copper- or sulfur-based fungicide at the first sign.
Solomon's Seal Sawfly
Phymatocera aterrima →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.