Little Trilliums

[Maggi Young]

Ian usually likes to sow his Trillium seed, including  T. hibbersonii, fresh...... but we have found that stored or exchange seed can still germinate in its first spring, even if only sown in late autumn or winter. Seed pots live outside in open frames, except in really wet and cold weather... that is to say, nearly always open to the elements in NE Scotland.

[Ed Alverson]

Thanks everybody for the advice - sounds like the best thing to do is to go ahead and sow the Trillium seeds immediately rather than wait until next fall.  Spring is just around the corner anyway, isn't it?

Ed

[Zdenek]

Ed Alverson

Zdenek,

I found climate data on the web .... If you can grow T. ovatum in the open ground it is worth giving T. hibbersonii a try; if T. ovatum is not successful in your area, T. hibbersonii probably won't survive.

Ed,
I grow Trillium ovatum since 1982 without any problem.
To your question about sowing seed of T. hibbersonii in this time: You must sow it immediately, but before it you should soak them in tepid water or better ti wrap them to a moist paper towel for about 24 hours. Seed of T.h. germinates usually in the first spring (if sown in autumn) you however should await later germination.
Zdenek Rehacek

[John Forrest]

Zdenek

I have grown a lot of Trillium rivale, T. nivale, and T. hibbersonii and find that T rivale grows even better in the open than in a pot and is self seeding. I have tried many times with the other 2 with much less success. I can only get them to grow if they are raised up in a raised bed or a large clay pot or trough. I think the combinatio of getting wet and then frozen is the killer for them. Although we dont get severe frosts here I lose plants because the mild wet winter is broken by sudden frosts, which easily bursts the water swollen cells. You could try a pane of glass or cloche over them during the winter to prevent this but T. hibbersonii is so tiny that it is so easily hidden.  T. hibbersonii was often a nuisance in my cold frames because it would self seed into all the other Trillium pots.

Here are some pictures to illustrate
1 You can see how small T.hibbersonii is planted out, compared to the T. nivale (still only 1 or 2 flowers after several years.
2 The potful grows well and is left out all year round.
3 Shows how vigorously the Trillium rivale is planted out
4 Shows how Trillium rivale self seeds

Good Luck
John

[Maggi Young]

Lovely to see some of your great plants, JoF. Easy to see where the Forrest Medals came from!

Spring is just around the corner anyway, isn't it?

Oh, Ed, I DO hope so!

[Lesley Cox]

Such super seedlings John. As Ian (or Finn) said at our recent weekend, everyone wants T. rivale `Purple Heart' but seedlings from it are often so much better.

[Zdenek]

Thank you John,
Your advice is probably the best one.
Zdenek

[Paul T]

John,

Great pics.  That dark hearted rivale is a stunner!!

[John Forrest]

Glad to help Zdenek.
Thanks guys for your comments.
I have shown these before but for those who didn't see them this is my darkest T. rivale hybrid potted up from the garden.

1 T. rivale darkest

but look what it did one year

2 T. rivale oddity

[Diane Whitehead]

The variation in colour of T. rivale from year to year also occurs
at Thimble Farms Nursery on Saltspring Island, British Columbia.

I posted a picture of a plant that blooms differently at each end,
but switches ends from one year to the next.

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=35.msg11457#msg11457

[Maggi Young]

There are various posts relating to Trillium nivale and soil ph etc. on this month's Trillium-L page ...

https://listserv.surfnet.nl/scripts/wa.cgi?A1=ind0802&L=trillium-l&D=0

Would that I could lay hands upon enough of this gorgeous trillium to be able to experiment with growing conditions! 

[Kristl Walek]

Zdenek,
I have been stuck in my house today because a snow storm has me in jail (can't open my doors) until a friend comes and shovels me out. The benefit is that I can catch up on some of the old posts here, and managed to find a picture of T. nivale taken last spring in my garden. The picture is of the species in the front of my woodland garden in ordinary, loamy soil, underneath sugar maples.

You asked this same question on Alpine-L, and you will recall that I answered that I grow this species in both my woodland, and in the shady end of my crevice garden. I find it easy and trouble-free- and have never given it a moment of effort except to plant it originally. It has seen -45C in very tough wet winters and wet, humid summers.

If it can grow happily for me, it can grow anywhere for anyone!!!!

[Zdenek]

It is nice, thank you Kristl for your encouragement.
Zdenek

[John Forrest]

The Trilliums are waking up now and here are the first two.

1 Trillium pusilum ssp georgianum is such a dainty little thing

2 Trillium pusilum ssp georgianum starts to have a little pink on the petals even at this stage but it grows more pink as it ages and the wonderful thing is that it lasts in flower for a very long time.

3 Trillium rivale pattern leaf is a division off Geoff Mawson's Farrer medal plant. It is very compact in stature but the flower is not as good as some of my normal leaf ones. I have done some cross pollination between the 2 but as yet have not got a really good flower with the heavily marked leaf. Will keep trying & hoping.

[Carlo]

John,

Your T. rivale pattern leaf looks just fine to me! It's a beautiful thing. Oh to be so experienced that such a plant is any less than a treasure.