Lords-and-ladies

How to recognise it

Growth habit

Hairless perennial, 30–50 cm, with an underground tuber; leaves and flower spike rise straight from the ground.

Leaves

Arrow- or spear-shaped, 10–20 cm, glossy green with net veins, often with blackish-purple spots (not always). Long-stalked; they appear from January and wither in June.

Flower

In April–May a pale green to yellow-green hood (spathe) of 10–25 cm wraps around a purple-brown, sometimes yellow, spike (spadix). The actual flowers are hidden at the bottom of the chamber.

Fruit

A dense cluster of berries on a bare stalk, green at first, then bright red to orange-red in July–September, when the leaves have gone.

Roots

A whitish tuber a few centimetres below the surface, from which new leaves grow every year.

Look-alikes

Italian lords-and-ladies (Arum italicum) has white-veined leaves that appear in autumn. Young leaves look a little like sorrel or wild garlic: wild garlic has lance-shaped leaves with parallel veins and smells of garlic, while lords-and-ladies has arrow-shaped leaves with net veins and no smell.

Flowering: April–May

Why grow it?

• One of the first green leaves in the woodland: from January it fills bare patches under trees and shrubs.
• The flower is a clever trap: the spike warms up and gives off a smell that lures tiny owl midges into the chamber at its base, where they pollinate the flowers.
• The orange-red berries in July–September add colour to a spot where little else is happening.
• Some birds eat the berries and so spread the seeds.
• A characteristic plant of old woods and hedgerows: a piece of real woodland flora in your garden.

Lords-and-ladies: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: moist deciduous woodland, wooded banks, hedgerows and shady verges, often on loam or chalk.
• In the garden: half shade to shade, under shrubs, at the foot of a hedge or in a woodland garden.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil that does not dry out completely in summer; ideally loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Choose a spot where children do not play, or where you can easily remove the berries.

Goes well with

• Wood anemone: Flowers white at the same time, in the same shade, and also disappears in summer.
• Lesser celandine: Yellow stars in March–April under shrubs; it too disappears in summer.
• Bluebell: Blue flowers in May on the same moist, humus-rich soil.
• Male fern: Fills the gap when lords-and-ladies disappears in summer.
• Hazel: A classic shrub under which lords-and-ladies likes to grow.

Lords-and-ladies: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy tubers or potted plants from a native plant nursery. Never dig up plants or tubers from the wild.
2. Plant tubers in September–October, 8–10 cm deep and 20–30 cm apart.
3. Plant potted plants in autumn or early spring, at the same depth as in the pot.
4. You can also sow: in late summer remove the pulp from ripe berries (wearing gloves) and sow the seeds straight away outdoors or in a pot. They need a cold period and often only germinate after one or two years.
5. Water after planting and mulch with leaf mould; after that it looks after itself.
6. Wear gloves when planting and sowing: the sap irritates the skin.

Care

Watering

Only in the first spring during dry spells. After that it is not needed: in summer the plant is dormant.

Feeding

Not needed. A layer of leaf mould or fallen leaves in autumn is enough, just as in the woods.

Foliage

Let the leaves yellow and wither by themselves in June: the tuber draws back food for next year.

Berries

Do you have small children or a dog that tastes everything? Cut off the berry stalks as soon as they appear (wearing gloves).

Spreading

It spreads slowly by small offset tubers and seed; it rarely becomes a nuisance.

Tip: Mark the spot with a stick or a stone: in summer the plant is invisible and you might otherwise dig up the tubers by accident.

Pruning and mowing

When: Not needed: the plant dies back by itself in summer.

How:

• Leave the leaves until they have withered completely; do not cut them while they are still green.
• If you do not want berries, cut off the spike with the young fruits after flowering.
• Leave the dead leaves in place as a natural mulch.

Caution: Always wear gloves: the sap and especially the berries are poisonous and irritating.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In August–September pick ripe berries, remove the pulp (wearing gloves) and sow the seeds outdoors straight away. They germinate after a winter, sometimes only after two years; flowering follows after a few years.

Offset tubers

In late summer, while the plant is dormant, separate the small side tubers and replant them elsewhere, 8–10 cm deep.

Lords-and-ladies: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −25 °C.

• In autumn nothing shows above ground, but from January–February, sometimes even in December, the new leaves appear.
• The leaves cope well with frost; in hard frost they go limp but recover.
• Fully hardy: the tuber is safe underground, even at −25 °C.

Diseases and pests

• Poisonous berries: Bright red berries attract children. Cut off the berry stalks or choose a spot away from play areas.
• Slugs: They may nibble the young leaves. Damage is usually minor; let hedgehogs and ground beetles do their work.
• No flowers: Young plants from seed only flower after a few years. In a spot that is too dry or too dark it flowers poorly.
• Confusion with edible plants: If you pick wild garlic or sorrel, look carefully: a lords-and-ladies leaf among the wild garlic can cause poisoning.

Through the year

• January: The first leaves appear.
• February: Leaves grow; glossy green in the bare garden.
• March: Full foliage. Spread leaf mould around the plants.
• April: Flowering: the green hood with its spike appears.
• May: End of flowering. Look for midges inside the chamber.
• June: The leaves turn yellow and wither.
• July: Green berry clusters turn orange-red. Cut them off if there are small children.
• August: Red berries. Pick ripe berries to sow (wearing gloves).
• September: Sow seed or replant offset tubers.
• October: Plant tubers or potted plants.
• November: Leave fallen leaves as mulch.
• December: Dormant; sometimes the first leaf tips already show.

Did you know?

• The spike can become several degrees warmer than the surrounding air. This spreads a smell that attracts midges; hairs keep the insects trapped in the chamber until pollination is done.
• In the 16th century starch was made from the tubers to stiffen the large pleated ruffs of the day; it was so harsh that it damaged the hands of the laundresses.
• Not every lords-and-ladies is spotted: in many areas a large share of the plants have plain green leaves.