We always know that spring isn’t far away when our native mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, emerges, as it’s doing now. This ephemeral groundcover, native to the entirety of Eastern North America, is a great garden plant, if you have the space. Unlike its Asian counterparts, it spreads quickly and widely, before going summer dormant as hot weather arrives. This makes it difficult for some gardeners to site properly in the garden.
Podophyllum peltatum needs to be planted far enough away from smaller specimens so it won’t choke them out during the growing season. It can be paired nicely with plants like amorphophallus, which don’t emerge until June, when the mayapple is already napping. Regardless, we love watching it emerge, with the flower buds intact as it breaks the ground. Although light shade is best, it can also thrive with a couple of hours of sun, as long as the soil has some moisture. The specific epithet “peltatum” indicates that the stem ends in the middle of a shield-like leaf. It’s only pest is a rust fungus, which causes the foliage to spot, and go dormant early. If you see this, you can treat it with a fungicide, or either remove and discard the foliage to eliminate the spores. This is our nicely marked Georgia selection, that we named Podophyllum peltatum ‘Wagon Wheels’. Winter hardiness is Zone 5a-8b.
