Mayapples can be that whimsical addition to your landscape
Curious, unique and whimsical are a few adjectives that describe mayapples perfectly. Botanically named Podophyllum peltatum, mayapples are a native woodland perennial.
In April, before trees have leafed, mayapple plants rise from the ground, looking like tightly closed umbrellas. As stems grow taller, their leaves unfurl and the "umbrellas" open. Imagine the garden fairies taking shelter from spring rains under their foliage. Pretty whimsical, right?
Mayapples get their common name from their flowers, which resemble apple blossoms blooming in May. Each plant produces just one or two leaves and only one flower. The small white or rose-tinted flowers grow in the axil of the leaves (the angle between the stem of a leaf and the main stem it grows from). They are most often hidden by the foliage.
Flowers pollinated by bees turn to green fruits that mature to gold. Ripe berries can be used to make jelly. Left on plants, they will open and scatter seeds that grow into new plants in optimal conditions.
Only plants with two leaves produce a flower; plants with just one leaf do not - very curious, for sure. Mayapples are not grown for their flowers or their fruit, but instead for their unique foliage and form.
Native to much of the eastern United States and the Midwest, mayapples grow in damp meadows, open woodlands, shady riverbanks and roadsides. In the garden, their preferred growing conditions include moist soil that has been amended with lots of organic matter in part to full shade.
Mayapples have no serious disease or insect problems and grow happily under black walnuts. Deer and rabbits leave them alone.
They prefer the company of their peers and don't get along well with others, so give them a space to themselves. Mayapples spread quickly by rhizomes at a rate of six inches or more each year once established, forming large colonies. Said to be intolerant of drought in the Midwest, the mayapples in my dry shade garden have formed a luscious mat of "umbrellas" more than 6 feet in diameter.
Mayapples go dormant in midsummer and completely disappear from the garden. The more sun plants get, the sooner they say goodbye. Gardeners must accept the yellowing foliage phase of mayapples before plants disappear. Just like with yellowing bulb foliage, it should not be cut back or removed until it is completely dead.
Plans should be made for the space after plants disappear. Since they don't play well with others, instead of planting mayapples with other perennials to fill in the space left by their departure, I just set a bench in the empty space - problem solved.
No plant is perfect, and mayapples are not for everyone. Gardeners with small gardens may consider mayapples a thug or may be unwilling to give space to a plant that doesn't stick around all season.
Although the ripe fruit can be eaten, the rest of the plant is poisonous, including the fruit before it is ripe, leaves, stems and roots. They all contain the toxin podophyllotoxin.
If you have the space, consider adding the distinctive charm of mayapples to your landscape.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and garden writer. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.