How to grow and care for Skunk cabbage plant

This particular plant may be unusual, and stinky, but the plant is also quite interesting and the uses for the plant in the garden are beneficial. Just keep reading to learn more about skunk cabbage plant.

Without been told the Skunk cabbage plant is a perennial wildflower that grows in swampy, wet areas of forest lands. The Skunk cabbage plant sprouts very early in the spring, and the plant has an odd chemistry that creates its own heat, often melting the snow around itself as it first sprouts in the spring. This plant is a plain-looking green plant once the leaves appear. You may actually find 2 common types, which are the Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), which is yellow and the Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), which is purple. The plant really got its name from the fact that, when the leaves of the plant are crushed or bruised, it normally gives off a smell of skunk or rotting meat.

How to grow Skunk Cabbages in Gardens

Actually the uses for this plant in the home garden are all tied into that distinctive smell. Despite the fact that it repels humans, the smell is like a perfume to butterflies, bees and a lot other beneficial insects. If you are actually having a hard time attracting pollinators or beneficial wasps, mixing a few skunk cabbage plants in with the rest of your garden may be a very good solution. This plant also repels many mammals, skunk cabbage plants can be useful if you have a problem with four-legged vegetable thieves. Also, if pests like squirrels are eating your corn or raccoons are getting into your tomatoes, just the scent of skunk cabbage plant may be enough to keep them away.

Is this plant really poisonous?

Skunk cabbage plant can be a natural and healthy diet for the insects that love the scent and nectar from the plant. But for human beings, cats, dogs, and other mammals, it is really a different story. In just small doses, or two small bites, the skunk cabbage plant can really cause burning and swelling of the mouth and also a choking sensation. And again eating a larger portion of the leaves can be deadly. Growing skunk cabbage plant may not be a good idea if you actually have small children, inquisitive pets or neighbors who may unintentionally eat some of the leaves from your garden. On the other hand, if the smell of this plant does not bother you and you want to attract the right kind of insects to your garden, adding this unusual wildflower to your garden might be just the right choice for you.