View All Plants  ::  View All SHADE PERENNIALS

Disporum maculatum

Nodding Mandarin

Plant Type:

SHADE PERENNIALS

Disporum maculatum (syn. Prosartes maculata) - Lovely woodlander with simple alternate leaves acting as elfin steps to the terminal ends of all graceful, arching stems. Prominent showy white flowers, about 1 inch in length emerge in late spring at stem tips. Each sweetly fragrant flower displays extended stamens which provide a unique, fringed appearance. Orange to red berries follow. Plants will gradually colonize and form a weed-proof stand. Moist, fertile soil with organic matter added in open shade to dappled light. The New England Wild Flower Society emphatically states drawing from the astute Bill Cullina USDA 4 to 8. Most sites indicate zone 5 with others waffling about zone 4 as the northern cut off. We're going with the NEWFS. Naturally found in the Eastern U.S. in a block of states - Michigan, Ohio south to Alabama and Tennessee. Established potted Disporum from good old-fashioned division.


Height:

8 in

Spread:

24 in

Colors:

White

Zone:

4 to 8
What is my hardiness zone?

Characteristics and Attributes for Disporum maculatum

Season of Interest (Flowering)

  • Late Spring

Season of Interest (Foliage)

  • Spring / Summer / into Autumn

Autumn Interest

  • Fruit / Berries / Seed Heads
  • Autumn Leaf Color

Nature Attraction

  • Deer Resistant

Light

  • Shade Tolerant
  • Dappled Shade

Attributes

  • Woodland
  • Border
  • Natural Garden
  • Wildlife Garden

Growth Rate in the Garden

  • Medium

Soil

  • Organic
  • Moist
  • Woodland
  • Fertile
  • Humus Laden

Origins

  • Eastern U.S.

Propagated By

  • Division

Genus Overview: Disporum

The Fairy Bells are fantastic woodland denizens closely allied with Solomon Seal and Bellwort. Stems arise and often arch as with their relatives providing an elegant appearance which contrasts well with other shade loverss. Flowers, too, are often showy occurring at the terminal tips of stems as in Smilacina but each floret is more in the appearance of the bell-shaped flowers of Polygonatum (Solomon Seal) and Uvularia (Bellwort). They all prefer fertile soil high in organic matter in morning sun/afternoon shade, open shade or dappled light conditions. The following offerings are established pot-grown divisions from our plants.