PEREN N I AL FOCUS
BOBBIE SCHWARTZ, FAPLD Bobbie’s Green Thumb Otherwise known as ‘Lord and Ladies,’ Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ is a fascinating plant in that it is summer dormant and waits until cool weather to emerge.
JAZZING UP THE PERENNIAL GARDEN VARIEGATED PERENNIALS FOR SHADE
As I mentioned last month, now is a great time to start thinking about changes to make in the garden. Depending on the weather, you may or may not be able to see the ground and the dormant plants, assuming that you did not cut everything down. This month, I am continuing the discussion by featuring perennials with variegated foliage for shade. There are so many that I’ll only be able to tell you about some of my favorites. I’ll begin with Arum italicum ‘Pictum’ (Variegated Italian Arum), with its unusual life cycle. It has beautiful leaves, a different flower, and fantastic fruit. It is a clumper that increases slowly. It’s definitely hardy to zone 6 and probably to zone 5.
Let’s start with the life cycle. Unlike most herbaceous plants, Arum italicum foliates in early fall. The leaves are quite visible during the winter (unless covered by snow) and spring. In May, a creamy-yellow spadix cupped by a spathe of green, quite similar to that of Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit), appears. After flowering, the leaves disappear, leaving only the flowering stalk which is relatively inconspicuous. Do not deadhead the spadix or you will miss the show. Gradually, the stalk develops large green berries. Then, suddenly, in late July continued on page 10 The Growing Concern | February 2018 | 9