Polygonatum x hybridum ‘Purple Katie’

Solomon’s Seal Asparagaceae

A Solomon’s seal with a rather dramatic spring entrance! ‘Purple Katie’ is a relatively new British selection, prized for its smoky purple to plum-coloured young stems and emerging foliage, which gradually soften to green as the season advances. The arching stems carry pendent, creamy-white, green-tipped flowers in late spring, followed by dark berries. The combination of richly coloured new growth and elegant flowering stems makes it an excellent woodland plant.

‘Purple Katie’ is a British seedling selection, originally obtained from Avondale Nursery and subsequently brought into specialist horticulture. It is now listed by the RHS as Polygonatum × hybridum ‘Purple Katie’. Its precise parentage and original raiser have not been published, so it is best described simply as a selected garden hybrid rather than attributing an unsupported breeding history. RHS Plant Finder – Polygonatum × hybridum ‘Purple Katie’⁠

Best grown in moist, humus-rich soil in partial shade to shade, where the purple emerging growth is particularly effective against fresh green foliage and darker woodland planting.

• Height: 60–90cm
• Spread: 40–60cm
• Flowering: May–June
• Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)
• Position: Partial shade to shade
• Soil: Moist, humus-rich, well drained
• Origin: British horticultural selection
• Introduction: Relatively new cultivar, originally obtained from Avondale Nursery
• Breeding: British seedling; precise parentage and original raiser undocumented
• Nomenclature: Polygonatum × hybridum ‘Purple Katie’