In The Garden Now …. Western Skunk Cabbage

Swamp Lantern

Text and photo by Victoria Gilleland

Like the idea of going native? Do you have shade and moist soil in your garden? Well, then, consider planting Skunk Cabbage or Swamp Lantern as it is sometimes called, one of our earliest blooming wild flowers. This one is lighting up the forest in our Lake Forest Park neighborhood.

The intense yellow flowers emerge before the leaves, often in February or early March and even through the snow. Flowers are frequently seen well into April. The plant gets its Skunk Cabbage moniker because of the stinky odor it emits when either the leaves or flowers are bruised or crushed. The plant can grow to 5 feet high and 2 feet wide under ideal conditions. 

Take a close look at additional members of this native plant community living in harmony with the skunk cabbage in the photo above: Western Sword Fern, Lady Fern, Piggy Back Plant, and Horse Tail. All are growing contentedly within inches of each other in the damp shade. A moist shady place in the garden would provide the perfect site for Skunk Cabbage and its native cohorts. So consider going native next time you plant something in a moist area of your garden!

Botanical Name:  Lysichiton americanum

Victoria Gilleland is the owner of Cottage Garden Designs, a Garden Design company specializing in Redesign of Residential Gardens, Garden Consultation and Coaching. She has been designing gardens in the northwest for over 20 years.