Polygonatum commutatum 'Bigfoot' is a Barry Yinger introduction from a plant he collected years earlier, just downstream from the well-known Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania. We're not sure what caused the underground rhizome to become so gigantic, but the possibility of radiation exposure is intriguing. For us, Polygonatum commutatum 'Bigfoot' produces 4' long arched stems, resulting in a 3' tall plant in the garden. The stalks are clothed with large, 3" wide x 5" long, medium green, deeply-veined leaves, and adorned with pendulous clusters of 3-4 white bells that emerge from the leaf axils in mid-May (NC). Polygonatum 'Bigfoot' spreads, but not nearly as fast as other forms of Polygonatum commutatum we've grown...our 15 year old clumps have formed a 5' wide patch of stalks that weave nicely among other woodland plants.
