Companion Plantings for Variegated Solomon’s Seal in the Shade Garden

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With its gracefully arching stems adorned with variegated foliage, Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum) adds elegance and interest to shady garden beds. This perennial performs best when paired with compatible plants that enhance its form and colors. The right companions can provide visual contrast, harmony, and shared growing conditions.

When planning companion plantings for variegated Solomon’s seal. consider the following criteria

Foliage Color and Texture Contrasts

The green leaves with white margins of variegated Solomon’s seal can “pop” when planted next to plants with very different foliage. Contrasting textures also help each plant stand out. Some excellent foliage companions include:

  • Ferns – Christmas fern, Japanese painted fern, cinnamon fern. Finely cut fronds contrast the wide leaves of Solomon’s seal.

  • Barrenwort – Provides a glossy green backdrop for the variegation. Pairs well with gold barrenwort cultivars.

  • Sweet woodruff – Delicate whorls of green leaves offer bold textural contrast.

  • Lungworts – Gray-green leaves contrast nicely against the variegation.

  • Caladium – Vibrant leaves in white, pink or red make the Solomon’s seal leaves pop.

  • Hostas – Various gold, blue, and green varieties provide diverse colors and textures.

Complementary Foliage Colors

Some plants provide a harmonious partnership by echoing the variegated foliage of Solomon’s seal:

  • Brunnera – Heart-shaped leaves have green veining over blue, silver, or gold foliage.

  • Hakone grass – Thin blades graduate from green to white.

  • Virginia sweetspire – Green leaves have white tips later in season.

  • Snowdrops – Green and white patterned flowers complement variegated leaves.

Shared Conditions

Choose companions that thrive under the same conditions as Solomon’s seal for easier care:

  • Part to full shade
  • Consistent moisture
  • Rich, organic soil
  • Shelter from wind

Great choices include astilbes, foamflowers, ligularias, primroses, and forget-me-nots.

Flower Color Contrasts

Although grown mostly for its foliage, the tiny white bell-shaped blooms of Solomon’s seal can be made more prominent with adjacent flowering plants in bolder colors:

  • Epimediums – Showy purple, pink, red, yellow, or white flowers
  • Columbines – Blue, purple, red, pink, white, or yellow blooms
  • Hellebores – Purple, red, pink, white, green flowers in early spring
  • Pulmonarias – Blue or pink blossoms in spring

Shared Bloom Season

Some plants flower at the same time as Solomon’s seal in spring, extending the floral display:

  • Virginia bluebells
  • White baneberry
  • Bloodroot
  • Foamflowers
  • Lungworts
  • Forget-me-nots

Style and Design

Companion plants should enhance the graceful, airy quality of Solomon’s seal’s arching stems:

  • Arrange companions loosely rather than in rigid groupings to echo the casual flowing form of Solomon’s seal.

  • Use contrasting upright plants like ferns or irises to provide vertical balance to the strong horizontal lines.

  • Allow plenty of breathing room around the Solomon’s seal for its stems to lean gracefully.

Ideal Companion Plants for Variegated Solomon’s Seal

Here are some excellent plant pairings to try with variegated Solomon’s seal:

  • Ferns – Christmas, cinnamon, Japanese painted. All varieties provide bold textural contrast.

  • Brunnera – ‘Jack Frost’ is a standout with silver leaves and blue flowers.

  • Lungwort – The large silver spotted leaves of Pulmonaria ‘Majeste’ make a striking contrast.

  • Hostas – Yellow or blue varieties like ‘Golden Tiara’ and ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ complement nicely.

  • Forget-me-nots – Both the foliage and blue spring flowers combine beautifully.

  • Foamflowers – ‘White Anniversary’ offers particularly pretty white blooms.

  • Barrenwort – Gold varieties like Epimedium x versicolor ‘Golden Queen’ echo the variegation.

  • Hellebores – Bold red or purple blooms provide dramatic color contrast.

  • Columbines – The red and yellow flowers of Aquilegia canadensis are especially striking.

Design Tips for Planting Variegated Solomon’s Seal

Follow these design principles when combining variegated Solomon’s seal with companion plants:

  • Use groups of 3, 5 or 7 plants for visual impact. Solomon’s seal also looks lovely planted in drifts.

  • Arrange companions in loose groupings around Solomon’s seal, allowing plenty of space between plants.

  • Angle companions like ferns or irises behind or in front of Solomon’s seal stems to create depth.

  • Mass companions with bolder flowers near variegated Solomon’s seal to highlight the blooms.

  • Echo the elegant, casual form of Solomon’s seal in your design style. Avoid rigid or overly manicured combinations.

Caring for Variegated Solomon’s Seal and Companion Plants

Solomon’s seal and its companion plants thrive with:

  • Consistently moist, rich soil. Mulch to retain moisture.

  • Afternoon shade or dappled sunlight. Most companions appreciate shade protection.

  • Shelter from drying winds. Site plants with buffer plants, structures, or natural land formations.

  • Even moisture and humidity. Water during dry periods. Mist foliage occasionally.

  • Good air circulation. Allow adequate space between plants for air to circulate.

  • Timely division every 2-3 years in early spring or fall. This keeps plantings vigorous.

  • Removal of damaged foliage and spent flowers. Cut back stems of spring bloomers after flowering.

Make the Most of Variegated Solomon’s Seal Companion Plantings

With its graceful white-variegated foliage, Solomon’s seal lends elegance to shaded garden settings. Combining this perennial with plants that have contrasting or complementing forms, colors and blooms creates attractive partnership plantings. Careful selection of companions that share ideal growing conditions reduces maintenance. Arrange companion plants in a casual, flowing style to highlight the beauty of Solomon’s seal’s arching stems and variegated leaves. Do this, and your shade garden will have a lovely highlight all season long.

Variegated Solomon’s Seal Care

Solomon’s Seal needs part sun to full shade with a well drained soil that is also moisture retentive. Every time you mulch these plants with organic compost or leaves, the soil will get better over time. Average to sandy soil is preferred to a heavy soil with a lot of clay. Drainage during the winter is very important. Solomon’s Seal will easily rot from cold, waterlogged soil.

Fertilizing should only need to be done once in the early spring as the new growth emerges. Use a well balanced, slow release feed. Cutting back old growth can be done in the spring or the fall, when the plant naturally starts to die back. Spring clean up is preferred in the cold of the hardiness zones. The mulch provided from the old growth will help to insulate the plant crown.

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  • Full shade to partial shade (0 to 4 hours of direct sunlight)
  • Mature Height 18 – 20 Inches
  • Mature Spread 18 – 20 Inches
  • Growing Zones 4 – 8

Solomon’s Seal is a traditional shady and woodland garden plant. The typical green variety has a tendency to spread rapidly and pop where you would least expect it. The Variegated Solomon’s Seal is a much more restrained and well behaved sibling. The shiny green leaves on the tall stems have very thin white edges that are just enough to catch your eye. Variegated Solomon’s Seal is not flashy like other variegated plants. This refined elegance makes it an easy addition to an already established planting.

Solomon’s Seal also changes to a lovely soft yellow color as the first frosts hit. Deer rarely browse on the thick leaves. Slugs can be an issue as the new growth emerges in the spring. Once plants grow a few inches, they are no longer a threat. Solomon’s Seal looks best in large clumps. The tiny white flowers that appear along the stem drip down and move with the lightest of breezes. Companion plants would include other shade lovers such as Hosta, Astilbe, Foam Flower and Heuchera varieties. The cut flower and foliage stems make interesting additions to a floral arrangement.

Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum biflorum – Ayervedic Aphrodesiac

FAQ

What grows well with Solomon’s seal?

They combine well with bleeding hearts (Dicentra), ferns, hostas, A clump of Solomon’s seal at RHS Garden Wisley. lungworts (Pulmonaria), pigsqueak (Bergenia), wild ginger (Asarum canadensis and A.

Does variegated solomon’s seal spread?

Variegated Solomon’s Seal can grow in dry shade. It thrives in organically rich soils and slowly spreads through underground rhizomes to create a small colony. Not Invasive.

Does Solomon’s Seal come back every year?

Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum (or ‘ladder of heaven’) is a perennial with graceful, arching stems with pleated oval leaves that are paired along their length. These are joined by lightly scented, green-tipped, white bell-like flowers in May and June, followed by black berries.

How fast does Solomon’s Seal spread?

Solomon’s seal is not invasive and it grows and spreads rather slowly. It’s easy enough to control its spread by digging up plants that spring up from wandering roots. Where is the best place I should plant Solomon’s seal? Solomon’s seal is a woodland plant perfect for shade gardens.

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