How to Grow and Care for Solomon's seal

Solomon's seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) is a perennial plant that is native to Europe and Asia. It grows best in shade and is a good horticultural choice for woodland gardens. Solomon's seal produces cream-colored to greenish-white flowers that hang down from the plant’s stem. Later in the season, these flowers mature into blue-black berries.

Smooth solomon's-seal (Polygonatum biflorum) has scars on its rhizome (an underground stem) that look like ancient Hebrew writing - thus the name that references the Hebrew King Solomon. It produces small white bell-shaped flowers in spring and blue-purple berries afterwards. Care must be taken since the berries are poisonous to human.

Angular solomon's seal (Polygonatum odoratum) is a flowering plant related to asparagus and native to Europe, Russia, Siberia, and China. Angular solomon's seal is also called the Scented Solomon's Seal or Aromatic Solomon's Seal. This plant has a vanilla scent.

The whorled solomon's seal is mainly found in shady forests. It has thick, fleshy rhizomes. The plant has a stature height of 40 to 100 cm . The stem is upright, with narrow leaves in the whorl. The white bell-shaped flowers are leaf-dependent and bisexual. The berries are first red, later black-blue.

The dwarf solomon's seal is a plant with a creeping and rhizomatous root system. Native to forests and grassy hills of Northeast Asia and Siberia, this plant is best suited for woodland or rock gardens or as a ground cover plant. The genus name comes from the Greek words 'poly' which means 'many' and 'gonu' which means 'knee joint,' referring to its jointed rhizomes.