Arum Species, Italian Arum, Large Cuckoo Pint, Lord and Ladies

I would like to add my voice to previous commentators who urge others not to grow this awful plant. I live in W. Washington and we canno...Read Moret eradicate it from our community, in spite of persistent efforts. It seemed to be a benign ornamental in the past, but 10 years or so it began to escape and has now taken over a number of gardens and a lovely 2-acre public preserve, where it is now the dominant plant. Mowing and burning (safely in winter,) have just made it thrive. Careful digging of plant, roots, corms/tubers in small patches can slow it down a bit, but 5 years have gone by and my 4 small to medium patches are still going strong. I dig annually, then cover it with layers of cardboard and a foot or more of mulch--and wait for the leaves to sprout again in the fall. I've kept it from spreading and the birds from distributing the seeds elsewhere, but that's all The Jury is still out on whether any pesticides work on it, but in our fragile island waterfont environment we don't want to add anymore toxins to the water. And though some sprays will brown the foliage, I have yet to hear of any spray that prevents re-sprouting. If you live in WA, OR, or CA please do not grow this plant. Even if it doesn't spread right away, it's very likely it eventually will. In other areas, please check with your State Noxious Weed Control Board to see if it tends to be invasive in your area. There are lots of other beautiful plants that are better choices. I've dealt with my share of invasives, but this is the worst one I've encountered!

About 45 years ago, my parents planted a small clump of Arum italicum in a large wooded area of their central Kentucky yard. Over the yea...Read Morers they also planted 30-40 species of native wildflowers that now blanket this grove every spring. For about 30 years, the Arum charmed everyone. Now? Not at all. In fact, A. italicum has become such a menace that in another 20 years none of those native wildflowers will be left. It will be a pure stand of Arum. I've tried digging it out but it's deeply rooted and it's impossible to capture the 100's of small bulbs. Weed-eating hasn't worked. Spraying with Glycophosphate hasn't worked. Our State forester researched the problem and gave me several articles but concluded there was not a known method of killing it. Another commenter mentioned Speedzone: I'll give that a try. I regard this plant as a sinister threat. It now pops up in far distant corners of this beautiful 10-acre yard. If you value native flora, I suggest not EVER planting Arum italicum.

I have had a positive experiance with this plant in my zone 5b garden in full sun, and well drained loam about 4" deep Planted it 4 year...Read Mores ago, bloomed the second year, has stayed in a 18" patch, and grows to about 15" tall. Comes up in October kinda goes into limbo for the winter and continous to grow in spring,flowers in mid June,dies back in August, and starts all over again in October

A beautiful plant that I find isn't invasive here in Boston Z6a. It IS invasive in the southeast and on the west coast, where it's a thre...Read Moreat to the environment. It's also been reported to be invasive in the mid-Atlantic states http://www.nps.gov/cue/epmt/products/Arum italicum 2012 NCRE...
http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/archived_invaders/archived_invad...

I've grown it in moist garden soil for over fifteen years, and in that time the clumps have gotten fuller but not much wider. This plant isn't aggressive in my garden. Hardy herbaceous plants with beautiful winter foliage are few and far between.

Be prepared, all the foliage goes summer dormant. Leaves rise up in the fall, remaining beautiful through the winter. In freezing weather the petioles bend down so the leaf blades lie on the ground, and when it warms they rise back up. In the spring, more leaves rise up. In June, the foliage goes dormant. Great interplanted with hostas, to timeshare garden space.

The late spring flower spathes are apple green in my garden, attractive but not terribly showy.

The sunken pot trick will contain some invasive species but by no means all. Where this is invasive, I wouldn't rely on a sunken pot to confine it. Roots can get out through the drainage holes, and seeds can spread regardless.

I haven't attempted to use herbicide on this plant, but the Washington State Noxious Weed Board cites metsulfuron + glyphosate + penetrant http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/siteFiles/Arum_italicum_draft_factshe...

Lords and Ladies is the common name for A. maculatum, not A. italicum.

All invasive plants can be planted in a large pot, then submerge the pot into soil.

I've lived in my little lakeside cottage on the shoreline of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio for 23 years. My yard is very shady and the soi...Read Morel is mostly clay-like. This summer (2012) we have our first Italian Arum stalk (just one) in 15 years. I love this plant and wish it were invasive in my yard. More than one plant every 15 years would be a delight. Does anyone have any suggestions how I might encourage another one of these plants (or more) to grow? Last winter was very mild and those lovely arrowhead-like leaves were present and quite hardy. Do the orange berries drop and reseed another plant? I'm no green thumb, but I'm willing to learn what I need to do to grow more of these cool Italian Arum plants.

I believe this plant came into my garden through horse manure or commercial mushroom compost. I'm convinced it's spreading underground, ...Read Morepossibly along the bindweed network that underlies my garden. It has multiplied about a hundred-fold since last year, so this year I've undertaken a zero-tolerance policy and am digging up every blasted corm. I also think that it only takes one cell of this thing to clone itself, although I'm sure I'm missing some of the tiny corms when I remove the big ones, because they attach dirt to themselves and just look like little dirt balls. Nasty stuff! I'm finally realizing that I can't put it into the green bins, because the green bins go to our local composting plant, and I'd just be spreading misery all over town. Do not let this spread any more in California!

Planted Italian Arum 10 years ago and it is not invasive in Medina, NY. It grows exactly where orignally planted and has gotten larger, ...Read Morebut has not invaded its neighbors. It is in part to full shade, and the leaves are green even in the winter, when the snow is moved aside.

Yep, it's invasive! Yep, it's very pretty. Which side of the coin depends on circumstances but you will have been warned if you saw this ...Read Morepage. I've enjoyed the plant over the years and never had as much trouble with it as I've had with other invaders-
I've had more invasion issues from it's cousin the Voodoo Lilly, lamium galeobdolon luteum, viola odorata, hypericum (not sure which I have but it's taking over) to name a few culprits. I seem to have managed to inherit a swelling army of notorious invaders over the years. It would be funny if it wasn't such a drag.
I have liked italian arum for giving a lush tropical look to dry shade but wouldn't plant voluntarily it if I was concerned about escapes or inundation. [Sonoma CA]

I tried for 7 or 8 years to eradicate this beautiful, but invasive plant, but it thrived and spread where it had not grown before. I sift...Read Moreed soil, removing what bulbs I could see. I burned emerging shoots methodically. I tried many sprays. Finally a commercial gardener suggested SpeedZone. I have used this two years and now am winning the battle. I have allowed only one patch of Arum italicum in our yard because my wife likes it for flower arrangements. This patch is surrounded by concrete and cannot escape. And I do not allow the seeds to escape. I cut them down during the summer after the leaves have died back. New leaves emerge in the fall or winter to repeat the cycle. If you do want to grow them, plant them in stainless steel or concrete and don't allow them to escape. Put a warning on any that you want to sell or give away. IMHO Arum italicum should not be sold!

I have beautiful leaves, but the flower, will not complete and no red berries, I replanted in another area and it still will not bloom. ...Read MoreIt still came up in the original spot. How do I get this to bloom?. It needs a lot of water or the leaves curl. This plant was first planted in 2005.

We live in Arkansas where this corm was already planted in one spot in the yard by the previous homeowners. At first we liked it, as it ...Read Morewas the only planted plant that was green even on the coldest winter days. Last year I decided I didn't want to let the green-turning-red corn cob-like seed heads to replant themselves, so I cut them off with pruning sheers. OUCH! My skin started prickling and itching and the effects lasted over an hour or more. One of the reviewers said this was the chemical, calcium oxylate. Interesting. I would be worried about children getting their hands on these alluring seed heads. I decided I didn't want this plant in the yard, so when the leaves reappeared in the autumn, I sprayed them with RoundUp, but they resprouted some months later. So, now it is late June, and the seed heads are just turning red. What we have noticed is that many plants do not grow near this plant, like a chemical warfare is going on, at least not the common Wood Violet that we allow to grow in our mulched bed, acting as a ground cover. Especially noticeable when the leaves die in the spring.
As for a herbicide to use, we've noticed glyphosate (Round Up) doesn't always work well with broad-leaved weeds, and especially plants with tubers, corms, and bulbs. I plan to try 2,4-D of 9% (I get it at Tractor Supply),or Spectracide Triple Strike, that contains fluazifop, DMA salt of dicamba, and diquat dibromide on these plants.

If you want something similar that is native, try planting Green Dragons. We have some that come up naturally in the yard.

We are in Ohio and I'm curious about this plant. After buying our first house we're finding all sorts of volunteer plants in our yard fr...Read Moreom muscari, to daffodils, the morning glories that have taken over the side of the yard, three types of ivy, to the balding cypress that my husband thought was dead until it suddenly sprouted green, to the myriad of rose bushes that had been hacked down and are trying to grow again to this plant that took us forever to identify.

I think it's neat looking and I want more of a green yard that I don't have to fuss too much with. Right now it's taken up residence along our back fence and seems pretty tame. It's only in a small 3 foot patch and seems to have it's leaves dying down (is that normal) with the berry stalks just starting to green. I'm wondering if it is over crowded and want to spread it out. If I can get it to grow along that fence and not have to try to maneuver the lawn mower along there I'm happy.

Everyone seems to say it's pretty invasive, but I think the honey suckle is much more invasive (I'm battling it out with 4 bushes that were allowed to get taller than my house!).

When we moved to this property about 18 years ago, Arum appeared in a few places and I thought it was nice to have green sprouting in lat...Read Moree winter. Now it's multiplying on a grand scale. I,m now removing all seed heads before they turn orange. I've tried digging, but can never get all the baby corms. Tried Roundup which will kill the leaves if the weather stays dry enough, but the next year's growth seems just as strong. I just read a suggestion on another site about adding detergent and liquid fertilizer to the Round up which I may try this year. Anyone with a certain method for removal, please post it. FYI:This is on the invasive list for Oregon.

I have several of these growing in a bed with geraniums, roses, calla lilies and naked ladies. There are a few more in my backyard under ...Read Morea meyer lemon tree. I haven't had any problems with it being invasive - the geraniums are far worse in that regard. I almost never water it and the ones in the geranium bed get full sun all summer long. The one under the lemon tree gets more shade, water and even Miracle-Gro but it hasn't spread much either. I don't know if it's the hot, dry summers or something in the soil but I don't seem to have the same problems with this plant that plague my fellow CA gardeners.

Good grief. My neighbor told me about this little-shop-of-horrors of a plant a few years ago, encouraging me to dig it up and dispose of...Read More it immediately if I ever saw it. Had I heeded his warning then, I would not be dealing with the mass infestation I have now. This afternoon I decided to start getting rid of it in earnest.

Add me to the list of disgruntled CA gardeners with this cuckoo of an arum.

At least it's more enjoyable to those in other parts of the country. Maybe I'll list it for trade...hmmm.

I am going to try this plant in Firestone, Colorado. Last winter we visited the Denver Botanical Garden specifically to see what was gre...Read Moreen in winter. We found Arum Italicum with beautiful green leaves and the full clusters of orange-red berries just beautiful. I believe DBG is in Zone 5, as are we. Will post again with what success (or not) that we have with it here. I doubt that I have to worry about its invasiveness in this zone.

Interesting foliage in cooler months. Colorful seed pods after blooming. Has spread somewhat in my flower bed, but I don't consider it invasive.

It behaves wonderfully in my shade garden. I've had no growth outside of the clumps. I love the green all winter. I'm in the Philadelp...Read Morehia area. My freinds who live 40 minutes south of here in New Jersey are thrilled to have me come dig theirs up as it pops up everywhere in their beds.

It is highly invasive in my backyard. Difficult to get rid of, since tubers, or parts of tubers start new plants. Otherwise, it is an a...Read Morettractive plant.

I feel the pain of those of you in the more temperate areas.
I saw several areas in CA that were overrun w/ it.

Her...Read Moree in Ohio though it's very mild mannered.
In fact too mild mannered here.
I'm having trouble getting it to spread.
It makes a great succession plant.
I have it in a bed w/ Jack-in-the Pulpit, Mayapple (very invasive but so impressive in spring) and Hosta.
So we get a 4 season display.

I have this growing in my flower beds and it is a pain. I have had some success eradicating it by digging it up carefully so as not to l...Read Moreeave any bulblets. It is a very vigorous plant here. It has even popped up in my potted plants!

It sounds like this plant should be avoided in the warmer zones. Here in zone 6 it behaves quite nicely. It stays in a clump and multipli...Read Morees slowly like any plant would. Of course, I'm growing it under a pine tree and a maple tree and in pure clay soil, so the conditions are far from ideal. Maybe its robust nature helps it thrive where other plants have suffered. I love the stalks of berries in summer and the foliage in winter. I don't mind it going dormant in the summer because I'd rather have the foliage in the winter anyway!

This plant will grow anywhere. It can be invasive, spread by bulbets, seed, moles, gophers, and squirrels. Nothing eats on them. Wonde...Read Morerful foliage for the winter months. Great Orange color when seeds ripen in late summer.

Avoid at any cost!! Ever since moving to my present home on 2 1/2 acres 18 years ago, I have watched Arum italicum extend its coverage, ...Read Moredisplacing even crabgrass. This is in spite of all the hours I have spent each spring chopping down every single blossom and disposing of every single seed pod I could find. It flourishs in under the big oaks and grows to a couple of feet high in the spring. The leaf petioles and blades are semi-succulent and are filled with tiny crystals of calcium oxylate, visible in a high-power microscope. The calcium oxylate effectively deters any insect or other herbivore from eating the plants and, if you handle them, will make the skin between your fingers itch, much like fiberglas. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! DO NOT SPREAD THIS PEST!!

One of my neighbors planted one arum bulb about 30 years ago. The entire neighborhood is infested with it now. It is impossible to kill...Read More. Round-up won't kill it. When you try to dig it up, you release all of the tiny bulblets attached to the big one, and you end up with 50 plants where you once had one. I haven't seen my azaleas bloom for years. The arum is taller than the azalea. The arum dies down in March, allowing me to reclaim my garden, but by then the azaleas are finished blooming. One of my neighbors kept mowing it for four years and finally killed it, but that's impossible to do if it's in your flower beds. Another neighbor actually sold his house to get away from it. Please use caution planting this, and make sure you really love it, because it might be the only thing in your garden after a while. It is certain to outlive all of us.

My zone 4b/5a garden was too cold for it. I planted half a dozen bulbs in a sheltered shady area. The first year, only one came up. After...Read More that, none survived. I have grown other arums successfully in the same area, including black dragon and basic Jack-in-the-pulpit.

Those flowers are too cool to go without! Foliage provides something to look at during the bleak winter months, along with the seed stalks.

When planted in a bed with improved soil it crowded almost everything else out and was almost impossible to irradicate.

A good companion for hostas; when the hostas die back in the fall, Arum will produce leaves repeating the shape of the dormant hostas, an...Read Mored remain green all winter. Plants produce white spathes of flowers in late spring, then go dormant as the hostas re-emerge. The berries form after the flowering is completed, and remain to provide late spring interest.