Jack In The Pulpit is an herbaceous perennial plant known as the Indian Turnip, Brown Dragon, bog onion, Wild Turnip, and American Wake Robin. It gets its name from the shape of the blossoms, which have a cup-like hooded top that shows off a variety of colors, from cream to green and burgundy to brown. The hood or the spathe showcases a spike or spadix that could be mistaken for a man standing in the pulpit and is covered with tiny male and female flowers of a wide variety of colors: white, red, pink, and green. It is framed by basal leaves in sets of three.
Jack In The Pulpit's Zone Requirements
It is native to the Midwest and grows hardily in zones 2-7. It thrives in soils that are damp and acidic. It also likes rich humus forest soils. This is an excellent plant for extremely boggy areas of your garden or lawn.
Growth Of The Jack In The Pulpit
The Jack In The Pulpit reaches 6 inches to 3 feet in total growth. They grow well in partial shade and full shade. From mid to late summer, red berries will be produced in a clustered cone that takes the place of the spike. Eventually, the hood dies, and the berries are displayed in their full, rich glory. The plant can be found growing wildly in rich, moist woods from New Brunswick, Canada, all the way to Florida. This plant is an exceptional addition to bog or rain gardens and is very tolerant of poorly drained soils. Grow them from the berries' seeds planted in the fall in 6 inches of slightly acidic soil with lots of organic matter. These make an excellent addition to shade gardens and outliners around the edges of woodlands.
When Jack In The Pulpit Blooms
Jack in the Pulpit is straightforward to grow and care for. Blooms appear in mid-to-late spring, covering the spadix. By the end of the summer, the spadix disappears, and the cluster of green, then ripe red berries appears, so for months, your garden is decorated with color.