Either around our ponds, or alongside streams, the skunk cabbages provide drama and scale similar in effect to the large border gunneras. There are two species, L. americanus, from North America, L. camschatcensis, from Eastern Russia and Japan, plus a hybrid between the two, L. x hortensis. They are herbaceous and need boggy soil to show them off to their full effect. The white, yellow or cream flower spathes, appear in mid spring before any foliage. A ribbon-like planting of these in quite a sight, but a large garden would be required! Leaves emerge, somewhat like a giant spinach, to 1m+.
In common with other members of the arum family, flies are attracted to the flowers by the meaty smell, although lacking nectar, they get no reward for their services. At least some deer find the leaves palatable, and the roots of the American species (L. americanus) are eaten by black bears in their homelands - not something we need to be too concerned about in our gardens! However this has spread significantly outside of gardens, colonizing swampy and shady wetlands throughout Britain and Ireland, with clear ecological harm, hence our action in withdrawing them from sale. The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, also prevents us from selling the hybrid L. x hortensis. We will take measures to control them in our garden.