I'd suggest doing a search using the terms 'Solomon's Seal seed ripening" or some such. A fairly complex process, you will see. Do you have seed of this species? If so, how has it been collected/stored to date? Multiple warm/cold stratifications are suggested in one source I reviewed. Great plants, but not the easiest item to start from seed, it would appear. Good luck!

+oM

Thanks +oM, guess my hopes of throwing seed down and letting Mother Nature do her work is a pipe dream. I haven't bought seed or plants yet, was starting my Fall planting planning...

Mother Nature does a better job with Trillium seeds than with Sol. Seal here on my Piedmont zone 7 property. I have also noticed the same in some mountain property I visit often. Perfoliated bellwort spreads faster, too, for me as does ginseng. Most of the neat shade plants seem to take a long time. Sorry. I usually don't collect Sol Seal seeds as they are eaten by the critters and, even if some survive, they need cleaning and then planting almost immediately for good results.

My Solomon's seal plants seem to be doing fine, but, maybe I don't have the true Solomon's seal plant.

Poaky, in Solomon's seal, the flowers would have appeared in axials between leaves. That's Polygonatum spp. In so-called false Solomon's seal, the flowers are in plumes at the end of the stems. One handy way to tell them apart, at least in flower. False Solomon's is Maianthemum. Both are, of course, great, native plants.

They both likely get those blue/purple "fruits" like grapes in late summer early fall, that are gone now. I know mine were pretty tall, up to my hips and I'm 5'7" average woman. I'm guessing mine aren't delicate enough to be the real thing, usually the dainty forest natives don't do as well as what I have is doing there, but, that spot is especially rich and woodsy, I wish it was a larger spot than it is. I'll wait until next year when it flowers, I will do a look at images online, but, unless the real thing is more dainty, I'm guessing I won't be able to tell. It all has turned yellow and is on the ground now, we've had a couple low 20F nights. Thanks Tom

After looking at some images, if the False Solomons seal has flowers that are at the tips of the leaves only, I definitely have the real Solomons seal plants. I thought the real and fake were more alike, mine have the flowers along the undersides also.

Polygonatum biflorum v. commutatum does get tall...have seen them over four feet in the mountains. They can also form colonies with good soil and rain. I have some that are increasing but very slowly due to lack of rain most summers in the Piedmont. Nobody has mentioned the Japanese version, which usually colonizes rapidly and in fact can take over. (NOT recommended unless in large pots!!) However, I have only seen these get to about two feet tall.

I'm pretty sure I've got the US native real SS. My patch has been there for at least 3 years, so would be much more rampant if it were the asian bully type you mentioned ncrescue, and mine are taller. Well, in asia they likely need that extra vigor. I have a patch of the white leaf margined kind also, but it's a bit shorter, it's in a less moist area with less leaf mold, aka woodsy soil though. Thanks for letting me know about the smaller asian version ncrescue