grow a Jack-in the-pulpit? Keep reading to find out!

Anyone who loves those early spring wildflowers that carpet the woodlands of North America will appreciate the Jack-in-the-pulpit plant. This is a fascinating spring ephemeral wildflower. Spring ephemerals are those flowering plants that emerge early in the season for a brief period of flowering and then go dormant again for the rest of the season. Jack-in-the-pulpit is native to moist woodlands throughout eastern North America, and if you’re lucky, you can grow one in your own shade garden.

Jack-in-the-pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum, is a member of the Arum family (Araceae), which comprises mostly tropical plant species. There are just a handful of Arisaema species native to the United States, and the Jack-in-the-pulpit is, by far, the most common. You can sometimes find these plants for sale at nurseries specializing in native plants. You’ll only need one because they will slowly spread and can be further propagated if you ever want to expand your collection.

Jack-in-the-pulpit plants emerge in early spring, providing showy vegetation for just a few months from early spring until early summer. During this time, watch for the fascinating, cup-like flowers with their hooded tops. Take a peek inside the flower, and you’ll see the “Jack” in his pulpit! After flowering, the plant goes dormant again unless it has produced a mass of bright red fruits, which linger until fall.

These plants are an ideal addition to your native shade garden. If you want to try growing your own Jack-in-the-pulpit plants, let’s dig into more details about how you can help them thrive in your landscape.
Plant Natural History
Jack-in-the-pulpit is a long-lived perennial native to the central and eastern United States and Canada. It grows in moist, deciduous woodlands throughout its range, preferring lowland forests with rich soils. It typically grows alongside an assortment of other spring-blooming wildflowers, including trilliums, spring beauties, and Mayapples.

This herbaceous perennial wildflower is part of a group of spring-blooming plants known as spring ephemerals. These plants bloom in early spring, and then the above-ground leaves, stems, and flowers wither and die back to remain dormant for the rest of the growing season. The thick corm-like roots remain alive and well below the soil surface.

Jack-in-the-pulpit was used as a food source, although it should be noted that all parts of this plant are poisonous unless they are properly prepared. These plants also provide a food source for birds and other small animals as they forage on the ripe fruits. Jack-in-the-pulpit is an important part of the forest ecosystem, and wild plants should not be removed from their natural habitat.

Characteristics
Jack-in-the-pulpit is a showy wildflower for your springtime shade garden. In early spring, the leaves begin to emerge, starting the brief growing season for these plants. Each plant produces just two or three stems that emerge from the base. At the end of each stem is a broad arrangement of three equally sized and spaced leaflets. The leaves are typically solid green with prominent central and lateral veins.

A final, central stem between the leaf stem becomes the flowering stalk. Jack-in-the-pulpit has very unusual spring-blooming flowers. When you examine these inflorescences, you will notice a cup-like part with a prominent hood. This cup-like flower part is known as the spathe (it’s the “pulpit”). The inner flower part is called the spadix and looks like a rounded stalk. This is the “Jack” who sits inside his hooded pulpit.

After blooming, the leaves die back, and the entire plant goes dormant for the remainder of the year, re-emerging again the following spring. If, however, a mature plant produces pollinated fruits, these remain standing as a mass of bright red berry-like fruits, fully maturing by late summer or early fall.

Jack-in-the-pulpit plants grow from thick tuberous roots. These are relatively slow-growing, but they will spread over time, creating attractive colonies. You won’t need to worry about these plants becoming invasive in your garden, as they are very well-behaved. A colony of Jack-in-the-pulpits consisting of several lush, green, healthy plants is a very attractive addition to your landscape.

Propagation
If you already have a mature Jack-in-the-pulpit plant, you should have no trouble propagating it. You will, however, need to wait a few years for it to either produce seeds and self-sow or develop some new side growth from the roots that you can then dig and divide. Either way, patience is key.
How to Grow
Jack-in-the-pulpit plants are surprisingly easy to grow. If you can provide ideal growing conditions, you should have no trouble with maintaining a healthy population of Jack-in-the-pulpit plants in your moist woodland garden.
Maintenance
Jack-in-the-pulpit is a fairly low-maintenance plant. You’ll want to keep an eye on it while it’s growing to make sure it looks healthy. If colonies grow larger than you want, go ahead and thin them back to your desired preferences.

Pull out any weeds that try to invade your wildflower garden. This will not only improve the looks of your woodland garden by keeping it tidy, but you will also greatly help reduce competition from aggressively growing invaders.