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Arum italicum is a new winter foliage plant for us. We bought tubers and planted them in small pots last month. Now, the first leaves have begun to unfold.
A native of the Mediterranean and parts of Europe, Arum thrives in partial shade in any average, moist soil in Zones 5-9. It has naturalized in other areas, including parts of North and South America. Also known as ‘Italian Lords and Ladies,’ it eventually grow to about 18″ tall and wide.
Beautifully marked winter leaves will fuel creamy white spring flowers.
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But then showy red seeds will develop by late summer, which last for an extended period. Evergreen south of Zone 6, this perennial will have an attractive presence through all four seasons in our garden.
The seeds are fertile and tasty to wild things. They often sprout in other areas of the garden to increase the display.
Since I’ve not yet grown this Arum out, there aren’t many photos for you. We have it in a pot and two separate beds so far, so we’ll see how it does for us. This is supposed to be a deer resistant and somewhat poisonous plant.
Have you grown Arum italicum? Do you have any words of advice for how to grow it to best advantage?
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Arum here with hardy Geranium leaves, Vinca minor, Lycoris foliage, Viola, and our first Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ to bloom.
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Woodland Gnome 2015
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I recently planted out some of these…hoping for the best.
I love those leaves, and I love anything that looks fresh and new at this time of year. I may have to give these a try, I’ve heard they’re invasive down south but I can’t imagine them being a problem in my end of the tundra!
And if they were, what a nice problem to have? You have friends to share them with, after all ❤ The leaves just mesmerize me with their beautiful colors and patterns.
Those leaves are just gorgeous! I have wanted one of these for some time, but it will have to wait until next year now as it’s a bit late to do any planting here now. I hope yours do well and give you lots of pleasure this winter!
Thank you, Cathy, for all good wishes. Like you, I’ve wanted to try this plant; but we have NEVER seen it on offer at a nursery. I found the tubers through our local bulb dealers, on sale at a good price, and bought 10 tubers to try. I’ve seen Arum in catalogs for as much as $20 each, which seems a bit much, don’t you think? Even for such a lovely leaf? Planting the little tubers in pots and tending them until the leaves emerged seems a small investment in such a lovely plant. I hope you can find a few for your garden. A. ‘Scottish Silver’ is particularly pretty with extravagant markings. It may be easier for you to locate these in Europe than it is for us to find them here… ? Best wishes for a peaceful Sunday, Cathy ❤ ❤ ❤
I haven’t seen it in nurseries either, so will have to hunt out a supplier during the winter months. My Mum (in the UK) has a big patch of it, but German nurseries have much less choice.
Wishing you luck!
I grew arum in my Chapel Hill garden…they were gifts from my aunt in Chatham, VA. The grew well without any help from me…pretty much in the shade, but some in sun. They did multiply into surrounding plants, but were fairly easily dealt with. Enjoy them. The are lovely.
They have such fascinating leaves, John. Each is like a painting. Did they stay nice for you even in the middle of winter, and after snow and ice? You didn’t move any when you came to your new garden? E
They were okay over the winter, but the little snow and ice we had did take a toll. I did not move them. Actually, they came to my CH garden as hangers on to peonies my aunt gave me.
Sometimes wonderful things come to the garden as ‘hangers on.’ It is always fun to see what comes up in gifts from others. I may cover these with something to protect them when we know ice and snow are on the way, just to protect these lovely leaves. Hope you and the ‘arranger’ had a great day. Cheers! WG
It has beautiful texture and should look great this winter. Hope all is well with you!
You are so sweet, Eliza. My friends and i planted our 300 bulbs out yesterday, then I came home and finished planting a new bed with the Arum, hardy Cyclamen, some ferns and bulbs. My right palm is actually bruised today from all of that digging! It was a perfect day to work outside, and we had a good time doing it. And now we can look forward to all of those Daffodils in bloom all next spring! we are well, and I hope you and yours are, as well. ❤ ❤ ❤
Yes, thank you, all well and staying warm by the fire on this cold, blustery night. The windchill today was in the low 20s – brrr! Winter is coming!
It sounds like winter is there! I have a special photo for you I plan to post in the AM, Eliza. A little golden sunshine from Virginia 😉 Glad you are keeping warm. A fire sounds lovely. ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks, I’ll forward to it!
The forecast is for mid-50s on Monday, so winter is only giving us a taste tonight of what is to come. I can wait!
That is exactly what my partner says: “warning shots.” It is 35F here right now, which is cooler than was forecast. I still have some tender plants outside in pots. But the week ahead has night time temps ranging from 40s-60s….. Giving them all of the sun I can before the long winter in the garage! I hope you warm up again soon. Yes, the shivering and frosty mornings can wait a bit longer 😉
🙂