Lords-and-ladies is a short perennial, reaching up to around 45cm tall. It grows from white, horizontal, underground tubers. In early spring, large, arrow-shaped, bright green leaves (sometimes with black blotches) appear. These are followed, in April and May, by conspicuous hooded flower structures. The hood (spathe) is yellowish-green with a purple rim and variable purple streaks and spots. It partially wraps around a short, club-shaped spike (the spadix) which ripens from pale greenish-yellow to purple-brown.  

Leaves and spathes wither by mid-summer, but the spadix remains, growing taller and developing into a head of numerous bright orange-red berries in early autumn.

The Italian arum (A. italicum) and its widely grown

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

Lords-and-ladies is a native wildflower, found throughout Britain in woodland, hedgerows and ditches. Although not often grown as an ornamental in gardens, it is nonetheless a valuable perennial for shady borders and a good wildlife plant, with its autumn berries loved by birds like blackbirds and thrushes.

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Blackbirds love the berries of lords-and-ladies

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A half-eaten head of berries

Here are our answers to your most common questions about dealing with lords-and-ladies:   

How invasive is lords-and-ladies? 

Lords-and-ladies self-seeds readily, so if berries are left to ripen, you’ll see a few extra popping up the following year. As birds also spread the berries, new plants may appear well away from the parent plant. This is good news if you’re hoping to grow them as ground cover in a shady bed or along a bank, but not so welcome in well-tended areas of the garden.  

As its tubers are able to regenerate from small pieces, care needs to be taken when tackling and disposing of unwanted plants, to avoid unintentionally spreading them around the garden in soil or home compost.

Do I need to get rid of lords-and-ladies? 

No – allowing lords-and-ladies to grow in a wildlife patch or low-maintenance area is a great way of boosting the biodiversity of your garden. And, as this plant grows happily in deep shade and on steep banks, leaving it to grow in the ‘trickier’ parts of your garden allows you to enjoy its attractive flowers and berries while benefitting from some springtime ground cover.  

It is, however, a good idea to control the spread of lords-and-ladies, by deadheading or digging-out some of the plants, so it doesn’t get out of hand. Early removal of seedlings in cultivated beds will stop them becoming established where they aren’t wanted.  

As it is a poisonous plant with bright berries, you may wish to get rid of lords-and-ladies if there is a risk that children or pets may eat some. Cutting off the berries wearing gloves is also an option to reduce the risk and keep the plant.

What is the easiest way to kill lords-and-ladies? 

Removing individual plants and small, isolated clumps is reasonably easy. Tackling large clumps or plants growing within a densely-planted bed can be difficult, taking patience and persistence. Make sure to wear gloves when handling any part of this plant as it can irritate your skin.  

If you have lords-and-ladies growing where it isn’t wanted, these are the best options for removing it:

• Hoe off seedlings – a good option if they appear among other plants in a border and digging them out isn’t feasible. Hoeing minimises soil disturbance and, done regularly, will gradually weaken plants and prevent them self-seeding
• Dig out isolated plants or small clumps – tubers can be as deep as 40cm in the soil so use a border fork, inserted vertically, to lift plants with the tuber attached. Sieving the soil afterwards helps identify any young tubers or tuber pieces that you’ve missed
• Clear beds and replant – where lords-and-ladies is widespread within a border, it may be necessary to lift your border plants, dig out the weed and sieve through the soil before replanting. You’re unlikely to find and remove all the tubers, but it should make it easier to keep on top of those that do reappear. Just be sure to check the rootballs of your border plants for hidden tubers before replanting. This is best done between late autumn and early spring, when border plants are dormant
• Lay opaque mulches – a good option for clearing the weed from uncultivated areas or empty borders. Use biodegradable weed matting or a 15cm (6in) deep bark mulch and leave in place for at least two growing seasons

If you aren’t able to dig out lords-and-ladies, or don’t wish to apply such a thick mulch, some control can still be had by regularly pulling off the leaves and deadheading any flowers that appear. This method won’t eradicate the plants, but should gradually weaken them and prevent further spread.

Should I use a weedkiller? 

No – there is little evidence that this plant is susceptible to weedkillers. Although time consuming, lords-and-ladies can be controlled and removed using non-chemical methods, which is better for the environment. 

For more advice on controlling lords-and-ladies see our guide to Weeds: non-chemical control.