Anyway, I see no signs of it now, though it has been much cooler than normal here. Are they usually late risers? Is urashima not a very hardy species? Several sites (including PDN) say it is hardy in my zone, so I am not sure. Perhaps it DID die out in summer?

Any info you could provide would be very helpful. Thanks!
CMK

i spent my $100 on Ar.sikkokokianums(sp) many yrs ago, before learning from the local masters that they die out regularly(at least around here)so those truly obsessed learned how to keep propogating them from root cutting.....
That said, they do die back in summer.

but its gg48 who's your go-to plant guru out there; i bet she'll chirp in here.

I used to grow a bunch of arisaemas in my woodland garden, courtesy of the temptations of Heronswood and Dan Hinkley. Some did great and thrived and others just petered out. Never could get straight which ones were which with all the multisyllabic botanical names :-) Not sure if yours was ever one I tried.

Yes, most go dormant in the heat of summer, just like our native Jacks. Yes, most are slow to arise in spring, at least IME. And yes, most should be quite cold hardy, although zone 5 may be borderline for some species. I think the real trick in keeping these going is nearly "perfect" soil conditions - richly organic, very well-draining but consistently moist soil. They cannot be allowed to dry out. If you can properly balance out the excessive wetness of the PNW winter soils with the very dry summer conditions, you should be good to go!

Under current conditions, I'd still give it some time before giving up on it.

-gardengal, you guys arn't warming up so well either I hear! What was it, coldest April in a hundred and fifty years?! Yep, I am a Spokanite ;-) Think I about passed out on the kitchen floor when I saw that light dusting of snow in APRIL! You are right, most plants can't quite make up their minds whether to come up or sleep a little longer.

Thanks very much for all the Arisaema info. The area it is in now probably isn't ideal. If it does does come up I have a better spot out back it may do better in. It is mostly shade though, do you think it could handle that??
If this one died I may try another Arisaema (any you found especially hardy/robust that you can remember?). I don't think my dad will know the difference ;-)
CMK

For some reason, aroids do tend to be rather appealing to males :-) My ex, not a gardener at all but more than willing to accompany me on plant hunting and nursery expeditions, was extremely taken with these as well. In fact, he was very willing to write big fat checks if they included purchases of "guy" plants like these -- not so much the foo-foo, girly perennials :-) Another plant he adored and just had to have was dragon arum, Dracunculus vulgaris, which is very easy to grow and gets to an impressive size and with a startling and odiferous flower.

IME, A. sikokianum is a pretty robust species and very attractive in flower as well.

The only aroid I grow now is mouse plant, Arisarum proboscideum, which is cute as a button, producing numerous brown and white flowers with long curled tips that look for all the world like a mouse's rear end and tail! Grows under the same conditions as the arisaemas but quite vigorous and will form a good sized colony. May not be very hardy for you, though.

Those Mouse Plants remind me a bit of those tropical Pitcher plants.

All in all, I feel quite lucky :-)

I have often thought about trying a "mouse plant" before too. What kind of spot do you have yours in? I've always wondered what would be the best spot to plant it, in order to see the little flowers better. Do you find them pretty noticeable, even though the flowers are held under all the foliage?
CMK

I remember when the former DH drug home the dracunculus - it was a give-away plant from a friend that had a small backyard nursery - and he decided it needed to go in our patio. No flippin way!! First, the growing conditions weren't right but no way was I going to have a flower smelling like rotten meat planted close to my dining room door and wafting its aroma into my house! Actually, you have to get up pretty close to it to notice the smell - more than about 20' and it has minimal impact. Pretty cool looking flower, tho.