I purchased a Mayapple (Podophyllum Peltattum) recently and am thinking about where to place it. I understand that it needs typical woodland soil, light shade, and spreads by rhizomes, which are described as long and thin. Question: how long is long - that is, how far from the mother plant do the babies appear? Apparently, once established, it is strong and crowds out others, so I want to provide adequate space. Thanks for any advice!
Peter
Mayapple Growth Pattern
pdkrones,
We are fortunate to have a P. pelatatum growing naturally on our property. Just think woodsy soil to plant in. Ours die back in June-July.
Wow! That is absolutely gorgeous. Ob viously thriving in filtered sun/shade and lots of room! Thank you for this wonderful picture. I will post it as a desktop background, and dream of when my one plant has burgeoned to a colony like that. Now I have to see if I have any place big enough for an army of mayapples!
Do you think that the mass of rhizomes would permit other plants to grow and come up through them, given the otherwise barren area as they go dormant? Would they coexist with hostas, for example?
Peter
pdkrones,
Thanks, it is a really nice stand of them. They are about 10" tall. I personally would not like them in with my Hosta. I feel there would not be enough contrast with the hosta leafs. What I am tryin to say is I don't feel that it would compliment the Hosta, I think most Hosta would be lost/washed out with the mayapple, Unless it was yellow....it needs to be different. They do die back. so half of the season they would not be there. BUT, then too, you have a leafs that are dying back and it takes a few weeks and who wants to see that when your garden is just reaching it's prime.
There are other just woodland saplings growing underneath/through, but not much else, in my setting.
I do have some native Mayapples that are in another area and are kind of growing with other things but it is only a few and doesn't take over, so I don't mind them there. It helps to make the area more natural. I don't think growing other things with the Mayapple would be a problem. I am thinking of things like 3-5' ferns, shrubs, trees...violets or other woodland plants I think would do OK with them as most are dying back by now.
I have added Spotty Dotty out in the woods they are in their own area and Kaleiscope in planted in a bed and I will move it when it starts to spread.
Your woodland area with the Mayapples is wonderful. I can almost feel as if I'm taking a stroll there. Nice photo.
In case others are following our conversation, here is "spotty Dotty": http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/06301.html and here is Kaleidoscope: http://iowagarden.blogspot.com/2005/04/this-is-podophyllum-kaleidoscope.html. The "Spotty Dotty" is gorgeous! I think I have a new plant to love. Other pictures on the web are even more impressive than the one in the link above.
Thanks for the thoughts on companion plants. If the roots don't crowd each other too much, I can see the Mayapples with ferns, just about any one - those that tend to cascading fronds would spread when the Mayapples are fading, or more upright types Christmas would work too. I have the native species of the P. peltatum, but I have to get the "Spotty Dotty". I don't think I have ever spent that much on one small plant, but it may happen. At least rabbits and deer won't eat a $40 specimen, considering the toxicity . . . . .
Well, I think that the deer in my area might disagree with you lol! They eat the wild growing mayapples, just the tops leaving behind a field of stems! I think what the deer eat depends on how large the heard is in your area as I saw today that they had eaten the top half of several ostrich ferns! Sigh!
Anywho, ferns would look wonderful with the Mayapples, they also do very well here under Maple Leaf Viburnums, Sweet Shrub and Redbuds. For smaller plants, they mix great with wild violets and I have them coming up with woodland poppies and some white and green hosta!
Idy,
So sorry to hear that the deer are that hungry and are eating ferns, how sad!
My condolences, also, for the ostrich ferns. I prize all my fernies, and would hate to have that happen!
About those deer - the scientists need to study them, to see why they don't croak or act weird (if they don't) after mayapple salad. Could add more information on cancer-fighting properties, and any failures in the use of the extracts.
I can definitely see something like a variegated hosta, more than a solid color like the gold or pale green-yellows, mixing in. The ferns, scattered about with the mayapple, should also work.
Thanks for the ideas!