Trillium 2009

[gote]

John, Hhristo,
I agree with all what you said. One can be lucky and have them up year one. My experience from dividing and moving in the garden is that If I do it late in the year a certain percentage will die whereas the same operation performed at the time the flowers start to fade is a near 100% success. Damage to the green parts is not harmful at that time. This means sacrifying the seeds but that is, in my experience, the lesser evil.
Yes that one that came up year #3 had traveled far and was fairly damaged.

The important thing is to understand that the rhizome may be OK if left undisturbed even if it does not show above ground

I have an ovatum that has been in the same spot for some ten years. It flowers occasionally and some years it remains under ground.

Göte 

[John Aipassa]

Jamie,
Enriching your soil is always a good idea. Since I do not have natural woodland soil I also am in a process (which will never end) of enriching the soil and turning it into more suitable woodland garden soil. I never throw any organic 'waste' (waste is not the proper word for it, since it is very beneficial for the soil) from the garden away, unless it is infected with some plant disease. Fallen leaves, twigs and shredded treebranches from cuttings are left in my borders; even my grass clippings. Within one growing season, worms and bacteria have turned this mulch into rich compost. If one does not like the sight of this type of mulch in the border, one should compost it in a compost bin or on a compost heap and use the composted leaves, clippings etc. for mulching later on. Never throw it away. Cool leafy soil in semi shade is what my Trilliums like. The ones planted in not so favourable soil in my garden (less cool, dryer and sunnier) are smaller and less flowering than the ones planted in more favourable spots. In time they will do better if I have managed to change the micro climate to more favourable conditions.

Goete,
Your explanation about the right timing of moving Trillium rhizomes is spot on. At first I always thought moving and planting bare rhizomes is done best in late fall/early winter. From my own experience I must admit that this is not true. Every bare rhizome planted late fall or early winter came up the second spring after planting. The ones planted late summer or at the latest early fall (september) resulted in popping up the first spring after planting and some flowered. 

All,
A Trillium rhizome, if healthy, is not a weak organism. These stories of Trillium dying when picking the flowers are false. What you will get is a rhizome, if undisturbed, which will need time to get settled again, but will flower one or two years later. Last year I wanted to move three kurabayashii rhizomes to another spot in my garden. I did it late July but I had to be more careful when doing it. When digging them out I accidentally decapitated the growing point of one big rhizome knowing that would cost me one flowering season the next spring for this particular one. Well all three rhizomes came up this spring. The two undamaged ones flowered beautifully, although with a little bit smaller flowers than last year. The decapitated one came up with 5 smaller but healthy stems (not flowering though, but I was glad to see clumping is fastened by the decapitation ). So if you stick to the advice Goete gave, the rhizomes will be fine and will give the best chance for flowering again the next spring.

Best,

[John Aipassa]

Here are two erectum types:

- Trillium erectum from Kristl Walek
- Trillium erectum bought from Dutch Hosta nursery Fransen Hosta's, famous for their huge Hosta collection.

[Hristo]

Excellent discussion, Jamie, John, Gote, I would join with all of you I think in emphasising the importance of the soil. We have enriched an area of around 50 square metres of garden with bark which we keep topped up to a depth of around 8cm. This area harbours the bulk of our Trillium species plus Lilium, Polygonatum, Cypripedium etc. The depth of bark is not only an attempt to maintain a woodland type soil but also acts as a protective mulch in winter, and maintains soil moisture levels during the often long, hot Bulgarian summer.

Having said all the above,Trilium sessile as pictured below is growing in a less well developed soil in half shade and seems to be thriving.

[Robin Callens]

Hi all,

Seedlings from various pedicellate Trilliums (T erectum, sulcatum, rugelii, vaseyi, flexipes) growing together are often hybrids:

[Stephen Vella]

Nice hybrids there Robin,

Ive often wondered with the amount of hybridization that is going on in peoples gardens and nurseries that these Trillium hybrids will be reconised as Triilium x hybridus. What does one think about this?

cheers

[Paul T]

Thanks Paul,

You'll need sunglasses with even darker glasses because I will post this photo of the same plant last year:

Wow.  Even more stunning!!

Robin,

Great hybrids.  01 and 06 are particularly nice to my eyes, although none of them are to be sneezed at. 

[gote]

The Trilliums are starting now.
This is an illustration to all name confusion among Trilliums.
the first was acquired as angustipetalum which it obviously is not. I guess albidum.
The second was acquired as cernuum which it is not - sulcatum???
Göte

[Guff]

On the topic of seeds, I planted these in 2007 right after harvesting them, they germinated this spring 2009. I didn't expect so many to germinate. This year I will spread the seeds out better. Question is after germinating how many years to flower?  Thanks for info.

[Rodger Whitlock]

. . . after germinating how many years to flower?

Five to ten years as a general rule. Pot-sown trilliums will come to maturity and begin flowering sooner if planted out in the open garden. Wait until they form their first true leaves, then transplant into a nursery bed or their permanent quarters.

[mickeymuc]

Hi there,

Last autumn I bought a "Trillium grandiflorum roseum" from Paul Christian. It was good quality and flowered, but the flower was white with an almost invisible hint of pink.
Can I hope for a better colouring in a year with a colder spring (it was extremely warm, and for example Cypripediums have better/more intense colouring in cold springs) ?

Otherwise I'd have to look for a better source of this form - is there any nursery that sells the true grandiflorum "Daisy Hill" strain ?

Thank you !


Michael

[gote]

On the topic of seeds, I planted these in 2007 right after harvesting them, they germinated this spring 2009. I didn't expect so many to germinate. This year I will spread the seeds out better. Question is after germinating how many years to flower?  Thanks for info.

You can expect one heart-shaped leaf 2010. Triple leafs 2011. Perhaps a small flower 2012 most of the flowering 2013. This if sown directly in the ground in a good place. Some will be quicker some slower.
Göte

[wolfgang vorig]

Trillium grandiflorum roseum

[Regelian]

Michael,

assuming the rose colour is coming from an anthocyanin pigment, which I am pretty sure it must be, then a cooler Spring will intensify the colouring.  I can't explain why, but this is the general case with anthocyanin lavanders and pinks.

[Anthony Darby]

Here are two of my forms of Trillium grandiflorum. Alas, the howling gales have wrecked 'Jenny Rhodes'.