Polygonatum

Adorable dwarf Chinese Solomon's Seal to just 4 or 5 inches tall. This has lovely light purple flowers which often causes Polygonatophiles to swoon leaving them prone in the garden where they awaken to smell the delightful vanilla fragrance emanating from these small jewel-like flowers which induces further swooning. This is simply a clever pollination mechanism involving repetitive nose transferal of pollen but be prepared and don't wear your best clothes. These are divisions originally from a Diana Reeck 1996 collection in China.

Second generation plants from our collection of this Solomon's Seal from the Cangshan in Yunnan. This has narrow leaflets arrayed in tiers with small bell-shaped pale white flowers overlaid in a dusky wash and which are clustered near the leaf bases which later become red-orange fruit bunched like small grapes. Surprisingly sun tolerant given enough water. In our lath house shade garden which is fairly bright, this has become quite impressive in the last few years making a bamboo-like clump of herbaceous stems to 7'-8' which makes us very happy.