2018 Plant of the Year, Honorable Mention

Proposed by: a member of The Seattle Garden Club, Zone XII

Maianthemum racemosum, formerly known as Smilacina racemosa, is commonly known at false Solomon's seal. Maianthemum racemosum is a three-season woodland beauty.  In the spring, it flaunts beautifully fragrant white panicle flowers. The graceful architectural form provided by the arching stems and ridged green leaves carries the plant through summer. In the fall, the foliage turns a warm rich yellow and the flowers turn into showy red berries. This natural colonizer grows in shade or partial shade and is extremely resilient, adaptable, low-maintenance and hardy.  It grows 2 to 3 feet high and just as wide in moist or dry conditions.  Maianthemum racemosum is hardy in USDA  growing Zones 3 to 9 and is located in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii. The fragrant flowers provide nectar for butterflies and bees, the foliage provides food for grazing elk and bear, and the berries become food for the birds and small animals in fall and winter.