Habitat: part shade, woodland
Soil: with plenty of humus
Height: 20 cm
Flowering: spring
Width: 25 cm
These excellent woodland plants come mainly from North America, with most species in the eastern part, some in the west (with a gap in between), and a few stragglers in Japan and China. As their name implies, they have three of everything: three large leaflets, often beautifully mottled, on each of the leaves, three sepals, and at the centre of the leaves the flower, with three petals, sometimes long and narrow and sometimes broad and showy. They are slow to raise from seed, but once established each thick rhizome gradually multiplies, eventually giving fine clumps. They are all good plants for a leafy soil in a shady places, and the best are stunning. All are well worth waiting for.
Trillium sessile has mottled leaves with three leaflets, and deep red flowers with quite long, narrow petals, growing right in the middle of the leaves.
1 litre pot £8.00
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| Trillium catesbyi has nodding pale pink flowers on short stems arising from the centre of the group of three leaflets. | |
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| Trillium chloropetalum var. giganteum is always a magnificent plant, but our strain seems to be particularly favoured. Year after year several plants are hauled from the ground, stuffed into a pot, and dragged to the flower shows, returning home with first prizes and trophies. The three large leaves on each stem are heavily patterned with dark maroon spots. At the centre of the leaves sits the flower, with three sepals and three deep maroon petals, long and narrow, and lasting for more than a month. | |
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| Trillium chloropetalum white-flowered is the white-flowered form of this popular woodland plant. The leaves have the familiar mottled pattern and the spring flowers are white, shading to pale pinky-red towards the centre. | |
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| Trillium erectum has plain green leaves and deep maroon red flowers on short stems arising from the centre of the leaves. This is one of the quickest species to form a good clump. | |
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| Trillium flexipes is distinguished by its nodding flowers, held below the three leaves. They are large, up to 5 cm wide, usually white, but occasionally maroon. However, even with dark coloured flowers the ovary is always white. | |
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| Trillium grandiflorum is the most familiar of the trilliums, but still the most popular. It is the state flower of Michigan, where it can cover acres of woodland with its large, white, three-petalled flowers in early May. It multiplies reasonably quickly, and can make enormous clumps. One, which has been ten years in the garden, had nearly 100 flowers. | |
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| Trillium luteum has mottled leaves, and flowers with three long, quite narrow petals yellow or bronze, extremely long-lasting. These are plants lifted from the garden, which have already flowered, so you should not have to wait to enjoy this lovely plant at its best. | |
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| Trillium pusillum has plain green leaves with three leaflets, relatively long compared to their width, and white flowers, fading to pale pink, on short stems arising from the centre of the leaves. Delightful: much more delicate than most of its cousins. | |
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| Trillium recurvatum is sometimes known as the prairie trillium, but it is nevertheless a woodland plant. Its leaves are mottled with pale grey over the green background. In the middle of the leaves sits the flower, usually maroon, like a plum, with three short incurved petals. | |
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| Trillium rivale is one of the smaller members of the genus, with a narrow distribution in the wild, but it is a popular plant for growing in pots for showing, although it is fine outside, if not too dry but also with adequate drainage. It can quickly make a mass of foliage, three leaves to a stem. The flowers stand above the leaves, with three white, sometimes pale pink, petals, usually with lots of purple spots on the inside. After flowering the stems bend over, so that the seeds are buried in the ground. | |
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| Trillium rivale pink is from seed of a particularly pink plant of Trilliu rivale, which is one of the smaller members of the genus, flowering earlier than most species. It is a popular plant for growing in pots for showing, but it is also fine outside, if not too dry but also with adequate drainage. | |
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| Trillium vaseyi has deep red, scented flowers with quite long, recurved petals, sitting at the centre of the three leaves. From the south-eastern United States, and slow to grow to full size. |