Skunk Cabbage—Can You Transplant?
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EmilyK
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula Posted: Mar-05-2004 at 11:48pm
Well, I guess the topic line says it all...I think that I've decided to plant skunk cabbbages (Lysichiton americanus) in my front yard. Do they transplant well if I find someone who has an excess of bigger plants? Or do I have to start out with the tiny ones from Heronswood?
On another tack, does anyone know if I can plant Petasites japonica "variegata" in nearly full sun if I give it adequate water (most sources say partial shade)? I'm looking for a BIG (I mean HUGE), rounded, soft-looking variegated leaf that's not a hosta. I am concerned about the performance of the petasites in sunny conditions and that's why I'm considering the skunk cabbage as an alternative (though not so round and not so variegated). I already have lots of big-leafed things out there including Astilbiodes tabularis, Darmera peltata, ligularias and a couple of rodgersias, and I need something a bit different to complement them. Please feel free to chime in if you have other suggestions.
Thanks all!
EmilyK -- Port Orchard, WA
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-06-2004 at 10:07am
I don't have any experience or much knowledge regarding this plant so I did a little googling for you, Emily, on pnw-natives email list archives (a great resource!).
One poster said that you can barely kill them and related their experience digging one up to make their pond deeper, tossing it into a low spot and having it root. She stated they are tenacious.
However, another poster said that they have very deep tap roots, especially in organic soils (ie muck). He also cautioned that they should be planted in wetlands or very wet soils, not just moist soils.
So far that's all I've found. If I find more, I'll post.
Are you considering our native Western Skunk Cabbage (or as the Brits call it Swamp Lantern or Bog Lily - it's all in the name). If so, this is the time of year when many native plant/conservation organizations hold plant sales and I'd think you'd be able to find these there. Now if it is a specialty form you are considering, then Heronswood may be your best bet.
Not sure about the sun conditions for the Petasites. I have heard they can be invasive. You are aware of their tendency to spread? That can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you are trying to achieve.
If you want to do your own archive search, type in "site:tardigrade.org skunk cabbage" on google (or whatever search engine you use) and go from there. This will target your search specifically in the archives of pnw-natives. I will warn you, though, that I get lost in the archives, going off on interesting tangents, when I do searches. Grab a beverage of choice and your comfy chair before beginning if you tend to do the same.
EmilyK
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Mar-06-2004 at 3:12pm
Thanks, Lisa. I did Google a bit, but failed to find the PNW natives posts. I was kind of thinking of asking a friend if he has a few "spare" plants--he has 5+ acres of wetland which is heavily populated with the plants--but I didn't know if they'd resent the transplanting. Native Plant Society plant sales--that's a good idea.
Yes, I am aware of the invasive qualities of the petasites and (I'm thinking) maybe the skunk cabbage, too. In order to ensure a good environment and also to contain them, I plan to plant them in 18 gallon tubs sunk into the ground to ground level. I did this for the astilboides etc. and it worked well over the Summer, but I'm still waiting to see what happened over Winter.
I guess I do whatever I do--how bad can it be? I certainly sacrificed a lot more plants for stupid-er reasons than this :)
EmilyK -- Port Orchard, WA
kkaren
Location: Western British Columbia
Posted: Mar-07-2004 at 11:28am
Emily, I've dug up skunk cabbage and transplanted it with no problems, I think the most important is just trying to get lots of root.I grew petesites in full sun at our old house. It was planted in the bank around a clay based pond and did quite well except in the full august heat would look wilted. Your idea with the tubs should certainly solve that.It's nice to hear of someone else who loves hugh leaved plants.Have you got a rheum?I put a red leaved one next to my sum and substance hosta and with afew spikey things-hoping for gorgeous!Good luck
EmilyK
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Mar-07-2004 at 11:45am
Hi KKaren,
No, no rheums yet. I was thinking of putting one in this same spot, but I think the redness of the leaves put me off the idea--I've got so much colored foliage and variegation going on elsewhere--I wish there were a yellow-variegated or chartreuse-leaved rheum. But, you know, on eof the reddish varieties might look really good. It would be underplanted with Lamium "aureum". and would be surrounded with violet liatris, alliums, and peach/orange/coral asiatic lilies and day lilies (this is a new bed that is just coming together, so lots of experiments are going on at once).
Thanks for the input about the petasites.
EmilyK -- Port Orchard, WA
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-07-2004 at 12:27pm
Emily, I think I recalled a post about planting skunk cabbage in a submerged barrel when I did the google search for you. I'm sorry you weren't able to find the info. Maybe I misled you? Anyway, see if this works:
site:tardigrade.org skunk cabbage
I did the search already and hopefully the hyperlink will take you to Google's results page. Never done this before so we'll see if this works. . .
EmilyK
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Mar-07-2004 at 10:10pm
Sorry Lisa, I meant that I didn't find the info on my own. I think that your link worked out fine! :)
EmilyK -- Port Orchard, WA
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Mar-08-2004 at 8:25am
How skunky is skunk cabbage? Would I be sorry if I put it near an eating area? Is the smell like frittilaria? Bear in mind that the previous owners of my house put dracunculus vulgaris (dragon arum) right out the back door. Those babies as beautiful (in a wild/strange way) as they are got moved after the first season of smelling that terrible smell!
The area that I am thinking of is in full sun but outside the back door.
Verena
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Oct-21-2004 at 8:59am
I guess skunk cabbage is one of those smells you either love or hate--I love it! Reminds me of everything woodsy and lush, also, the very early spadix is a sure sign Spring's here. You already have tons of info, but I'll put in my two cents worth: They grow fast under the right conditions, so success is better with a small transplant as they do have a HUGE taproot. If grown in mostly sun, they require water not just moisture; in the shade a very damp spot is sufficient. They have a tendency to fry and look ratty in full sun when it gets hot. Containers do keep their size in check. I've had a small one (native) submerged in a pot directly in the pond as a marginal pond plant for years. I've seen 3 ft. long gorgeous leaves when growing in their native habitat, however, conditions were nothing short of perfect. What a great way to landscape a wetland.
Wanda
Location: Puget Sound corridor
Posted: Oct-21-2004 at 8:39pm
Another big-leaved plant is Empress Tree (Paulownia). I have one that I keep cutting off which results in a multi-stemmed big shrub. I suppose it's mean, like bonsaii, but it works and I get huge big leaves all summer. Mine is not variegated. I think I have Paulownia fortunei. Beware - this tree grows very fast - mine grew about 15 feet it's first year. Then I cut it off and the new suckers grew about 10 feet the second year. If you wanted something in a garden bed, it would need cutting off every single year. And you'd probably want to contain the roots. Probably too big but just wanted to put my two cents in. The skunk cabbage sounds wonderful - I love yellow in the garden and you can't get any yellower than that "flower".
-Wanda
Red Hare
Location: Oregon coast
Posted: Oct-28-2004 at 3:11pm
So you are aware that skunk cabbage is aptly named, and you'll be sharing that fragrance with much of your neighborhood every spring. Your neighbors won't mind? My nose is crinkling just thinking about it. What are other gardeners' experiences with not-so-sweet aromas emanating from their flower beds? I know one neighbor who wouldn't be shy about commenting, and a couple others who would use it as fodder for gossip ("What was she thinking?"). But then we're squeezed together on 50x100 lots in the middle of the city, where something as fragrant as skunk cabbage would be hard to ignore.
JeanneK
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: Oct-28-2004 at 3:43pm
I thought skunk cabbage only smells when you crush the foliage. I have some baby skunk cabbage and have not noticed a smell from them. But maybe because they are so small?
Well - as far as stinky plants, Dracunculus Vulgaris tops them all, except for amorphophallus. They are both part of the arum family. I have tried to put the dracunculus in an area where they are not in direct contact with any of the neighbors. So far only the neighborhood kids have complained when they walk by them on the street. Told me my garden stinks! LOL! The prevailing winds blow the scent into the garden every now and then instead of into the neighbors living spaces. Also, I have removed them from any eating areas. After all you don't want to smell carrion when you are trying to eat your fresh grilled chicken!
Jeanne
EmilyK
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Oct-29-2004 at 11:09am
We have tons of skunk cabbage growing in roadside ditches near our home. Although I haven't gotten that close, I've never noticed any scent at all.
Anyway, as the topic starter, I feel a bit guilty to have to say that I've decided that skunk cabbage isn't the plant for me. Instead, I sunk large buckets in the ground (to retain the water and to create an artificially boggy situation--and to corral the vigorous plants) and planted a Petasites japonica "variegatus" and P. peltatum? "Golden Palms". Both are really, really vigorous. The Golden Palms started as a rooted cutting last summer and I planted it out this Spring. When I got it, it had one spindly leaf about the size of a quarter. Well, over the course of the year, it grew to fill it's 18" diameter pot with multiple crowns and I already cut one crown off to start another plant and that plant would fill an 18" D pot also--in just one growing season! So it is VERY rampant. The "Variegatus" was purchased in the middle of this Summer as a 2 or 3 gallon plant with about one large leaf and a couple of smaller leaves on it. It's grown well and is about the same size as the Golden Palms with about 20 large leaves.
I have a lot of territory to fill and I like the lush, woodland look, so I am really happy with the performance of both of these plans. I wish that I could bring myself to let them loose in the border, but I think that they'd be too much to handle.
For others who wish to try them, I would definitely recommend using a submerged pot to contain their growth. They are planted where they get about 3-4 hours of sun each day and I did have to water them daily to stave off wilt.
EmilyK -- Port Orchard, WA
Red Hare
Location: Oregon coast
Posted: Nov-01-2004 at 1:51pm
I drive a convertible, so I know I'm driving by skunk cabbage long before I see it by the side of the road. Just another sensory sign of the season.
Funny how odors or fragrances can instantly spark memories and emotions.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton