Spikenard

Bold tropical-scale foliage for the shade garden, fragrant roots, and dark berries for birds. spikenard fills the large-scale textural anchor role that no other shade perennial matches.

Spikenard is a dramatic woodland perennial that doesn't get nearly enough recognition. It pushes up from the ground each spring and expands rapidly into a bold, arching mound of giant compound leaves. each one up to 3 feet across. that brings a lush, tropical quality to shaded gardens. The small creamy-white flowers open in spreading clusters in midsummer, attracting native bees and flies. By fall, those flowers ripen into clusters of dark purple-black berries that birds eat eagerly. The roots have a rich, spicy-sweet fragrance used medicinally by Indigenous peoples for centuries. Give it room. a single well-established clump becomes an impressive focal point in a moist woodland garden.