arisaema sikokianum

[woodthrush]

I planted these about a month ago. They practically shot out of the ground.
Pam

[Chris_W]

Those are very nice! Are all of them middle variegated? I have one called Jack Frost that looks similar - really enjoyed these this summer

[lukelucy]

I have had little luck with this one somehow. Yours look so much healthier than mine and I have them (it) in a shaded area with pine needles. What are your conditions for this? Where did you purchase them? Nancy

[Chris_W]

Hi Lukelucy,

Mine are planted in a high spot in my shade garden in rich soil but underneath is a lot of sand and gravel so the bed drains really well. That seems to be important with the Arisaema.

They also tend to die back by late summer, if anything remains it will be the seeds, otherwise they just look great in spring and early summer and then disappear the rest of the year. So I would wait until next spring to pass judgment on them. Don't water them, the bulbs really don't need it.

Hope that helps.

Chris

[woodthrush]

I planted 10 in that spot and about 4 of them have variegation. There is a sikokianum 'Silver Center', and I think that may be the variegated ones.
So looking forward to spring!
Pam

[NancyL]

Here are a couple of photos of mine. I only have 2 (the vole got the third bulb I bought). One photo really shows the variegation. I can't wait to see them again.

[woodthrush]

Oh No! Do voles eat these also? I would have thought these were poisonous.
I ordered a bunch of different one for this spring. I'll have to cage them if voles eat them.
Mine are in a fairly deep shade, a little dappled light as the sun passes over during the day, slightly elevated for drainage, but the soil does remain damp all the time.
The 'soil' is mostly decomposed oak leaf, years and years of leaves.

[NancyL]

Hi Woodthrush - I don't know if was the voles but I can't blame it on anything else and they have been problematic in the yard. It came up the first year then never came back. A number of Krossa Regals and Baby Buntings went missing in that area and I know what to blame for them!

BTW - thanks for the permission to use your vole screen cage photos. I will be doing a talk for the MGs in a neighboring county and I will use your photos to demonstrate another barrier method. I use a pond basket as a cage and it will be nice to show your classy cages for your hostas in addition to those folding metal cages that can be bought at at a garden center.

[woodthrush]

Update on my cages, they seem to have worked very well. I do see vole holes near the cages, but the holes are not deep enough for the voles to enter the cage from the bottom. I will continue to cage more this summer. And now I'll be caging my arisaema and sedums. Yep, the voles have been eating sedum roots.