Variegated Solomon's seal
Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum' ·
Arching red stems with leaves edged and streaked in white, and scented white bells hanging beneath in spring. The leaves turn clear yellow in autumn.
- Size
- 2½ ft tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around variegated Solomon's seal
The planner designed this bed around variegated Solomon's seal when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why variegated Solomon's seal stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Variegated Solomon's seal × 3, white
- 2 Leadwort × 18, blue
- 3 Dwarf lady's mantle × 8, green
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Solomon's seal × 5, white
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 5, yellow
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- In the middle. At 2½ ft it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and Japanese meadowsweet (3½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From early May to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Solomon's seal and yellow trout lily in early May: 3 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by Japanese meadowsweet and Solomon's seal, the tallest plants on the plan. Leadwort is planted in five places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where variegated Solomon's seal goes in a border
At 2½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium (24 in to 2½ ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
One of the best plants for shade: graceful, bright, scented and tough. The white edging shows from a distance. It spreads slowly and is easily divided.
- Lighting up shade
- Arching form among hostas
- Dry shade once established
What to plant with variegated Solomon's seal
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; happy in the same moist soil.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for two weeks, from early May; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about variegated Solomon's seal
Does variegated Solomon's seal need sun or shade?
Variegated Solomon's seal grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does variegated Solomon's seal grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does variegated Solomon's seal flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
| Zone 6 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should variegated Solomon's seal be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 2½ ft (70 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many variegated Solomon's seal plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is variegated Solomon's seal poisonous to dogs?
Yes: mild toxicity to people and dogs. The berries can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
It is not recorded as toxic to cats, but it is to people.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like variegated Solomon's seal?
These come closest to doing what variegated Solomon's seal does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Large-flowered bellwort: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 8 in shorter, yellow, not white.
- Virginia bluebells: the same job in a bed; 8 in shorter, flowers mid April to early May.
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; belongs at the front, not in the middle, 16 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after variegated Solomon's seal?
Variegated Solomon's seal is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does variegated Solomon's seal look like in winter?
Variegated Solomon's seal dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Polygonatum
- Dwarf Solomon's seal Polygonatum humile
- Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 2½ ft (70 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium (24 in to 2½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; variegated
- Shape
- Arching, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.