Trilliums

 

Trilliums, for me, are the symbol of the woodsy outdoors.   Each year I go hiking in the early spring to catch the bloom time of Trilliums in the wild Northwest trails. You can find them in the shade under the beautiful tall evergreens, just where Mother Nature has planted them. If you have a shady spot at home, you don’t have to wander the wild to look for them, you can enjoy them in your own landscape.

 

Trillium flowers have very distinctive, three petals that bloom in a few different colors. This is beautifully mirrored with their three-leafed foliage that will be solid green or sometimes have spots.

 

Trilliums grow best in areas that either have just morning sun to all day shade. Select a place to plant them that offers rich, well drained soil amended with compost. Just like tulips, let Trilliums die down to help nourish the bulb for the next year’s flower. You may want to mark where it is planted, so you don’t dig it up trying to plant another woodland favorite.

 

If you are ready to try a few, here are some great options:

 

Trillium grandiflorum is the most common. It has large, three petaled white flowers that sometimes mature to very light pink. The leaves are solid green. The mature plant grows to 6-12 inches tall.

 

Trillium luteum is very light creamy yellow bloom with leaves that are mottled. It reaches a mature eight of 12-18 inches tall.   Most Trilliums go dormant in summer. The leaves of this variety, if kept in shade, with moist well drained soil, will stay on all summer. Also interesting about this variety is that ants feed on the seed pods. The ants carry off the fruit, thus propagating the species. I often forget how helpful ants are in the garden.

 

Trillium erecta has a deep ruby-red flowers. Its mature height is 12 – 18 inches tall. The foliage has a dark mottled pattern. This is truly a beautiful Trillium.

 

Trillium kurabayashii is a rare plant in the wild. It is native to the Rogue River area in Curry County Oregon, and to the Pistol and the Chetco River drainages of Northern California. It loves a moist, well drained soil as all Trilliums do. This Trillium is named after Masataka Kurabayashi, a Japanese population geneticist, who first recognized this trillium as its own species. The plants at Al’s are not collected from the wild but propagated from seed collected a long time ago. The propagation technique has been handed down through Trillium enthusiasts. The flowers are long, up to 6 inches, very deep wine-red and stand up from the spotted, almost 6 inch leaves. The whole plant can reach 12-20 inches in height. It’s the largest Trillium in Oregon. They are truly awesome.