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Since I'm behind on everything these days, June seems like the perfect time for me to post about something that bloomed in March. It's Chinese Mayapple, and it's one of my favorite weird plants.  Weird and wonderful Chinese Mayapple (Podophyllum pleianthum, zones 5- 9) is getting more write-ups these days, but a few years ago no one was talking about it. I got mine as a pass-along from a fellow gardener I met in 2012 when we were both doing stints as seasonal workers at Plant Delights, the mail order nursery in Raleigh. No, there were no staff discounts, but it was still possible to end up with some great plants. Our job was cleaning up the plants in preparation for shipping; if in the process you had to snip off a ratty-looking stem, you were allowed to bring it home and try to root it. Then there was the "Reject Tree." Plants that for whatever reason were deemed not sellable were left under a tree near the parking lot, and on your way out at the end of the day you could grab some. I did only one season at Plant Delights, but the source of my Chinese Mayapple was in his gazillionth and between the ratty looking stems, the Reject Tree, and some actual purchases, his home garden was like a Plant Delights museum.  You can't help noticing Chinese Mayapple. The leaves are gigantic and sit perpendicular to the stalk, which makes the plant look like a green toadstool or something out of a fairy tale or Maurice Sendak story. In March it gets borderline-creepy dark red flowers that droop from underneath. And if you like this kind of thing, you're in luck, because unlike native Mayapple, the plant doesn't go dormant until September or so.  Creepy flowers in March In my garden, Chinese Mayapple is a substitute for Hostas, which did not make the cut of plants I deem worth lying awake at night thinking of ways to save from being eaten by deer. One of Chinese Mayapple's best features is that it does not taste good to ravenous animals. It has similar growing conditions to Hosta (moist shade) and can serve the same design purpose (bold foliage, nice contrast with ferns).  June, and the leaves are still here. But who am I kidding? One of my favorite things about Chinese Mayapple is that it's unusual. I can't deny it - I enjoy having plants no one else in the neighborhood has. It's not my most admirable quality but it's also not one of my worst, so I've decided to live with it.
16 Comments
6/4/2017 09:59:25 pm
I like weird plants, too. We were all born original. Why die a clone? 6/5/2017 05:42:07 pm
So true. But sometimes very common plants are perfectly nice - even great. I don't want to be a plant snob and reject something just because everyone else has it.
I love unusual plants too! This plant is way more interesting than hosta. 6/5/2017 05:48:11 pm
I've never seen fruit on the Chinese Mayapple, but I have heard rumors that they do - maybe mine just needs to be a bit more established. 6/6/2017 08:00:50 pm
Not necessarily better - just different. Natives are great but for me it would be hard to have a garden made up only of natives. 6/7/2017 09:59:04 am
Did someone say unusual plants? I spend way more time than I should stalking nurseries for something no one else has. Lately it's becoming more and more difficult supposedly(as told to me by some independent nurseries) because the growers aren't growing as much of the quirkier stuff. As much as I try to buy local I can see more mail order in my future. 6/7/2017 05:57:36 pm
Yes, it's usually futile to go to a local nursery, even a really good one, to try to find something unusual. It would be nice to not have to do mail order (small plants, big price) but that's what it takes, unfortunately. What a great plant! I think I've seen it at a botanical garden before and admired it greatly for its amazing leaves. How awesome that you were able to work at Plant Delights for awhile! I've been to a couple of their open houses before, and their plants (and gardens) are incredible. 6/7/2017 06:00:05 pm
Working there was an education, that's for sure. And you can't beat it for unusual plants.
Anne Himmelfarb
6/10/2017 06:38:16 am
Sarah, it's interesting that you (and other commenters) like unusual plants. I am the opposite. I am much more likely to plant something I see blooming in 9 out of 10 yards (which I assume means the plant is hard to kill and likes the climate) than something that I've never seen before and know nothing about. 6/10/2017 08:11:20 am
Looking at other people's yards is a time-honored way of figuring out what will work in your area. And I have no objection to more common plants. I have tons of them. But it's also fun to have people stop and point at your Chinese Mayapple and say, "What's that?" 6/13/2017 05:35:22 pm
Cool plant! I have large patches of the native Mayapples. They're mostly in deep shade, so depending on the severity of the summer, they often don't go dormant until late summer or early fall. I love the way they look emerging from the soil like little umbrellas in the springtime. :) 6/13/2017 08:13:46 pm
Beth, you live in a cold climate, so at least with native Mayapples you are lucky that they can take a while to go dormant. Here they last for a nano-second. 7/5/2017 10:13:11 am
Galloping Gardener I, too, am behind on quite a few things. I have never seen this Chinese Mayappe though I am a farmer's granddaughter who is famous for not being able to recognize basic plants like ferns, hibiscus, hydrangea and the list goes on. Thanks for introducing me to a plant that even someone like me can recognize. 7/5/2017 06:40:24 pm
Glad to oblige. Maybe they have it at Wave Hill or the NY Botanical Gardens. There. I've just given you your weekend project. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorThe Galloping Horse Gardener is a native New Yorker who packed it in in 2005 to live under the radar in Cary, North Carolina. In 2014, she removed to a new secure location somewhere in Raleigh. Archives
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