Trillium 2009

[Maggi Young]

A couple of pix just in from Jim Kee .... who says  " I thought I would send a picture of some Trillium in the garden. I think the first picture should be T. maculatum simulans with  T. decumbens. The other picture is a cool little form of T. lancifolium :this is bi-colored right from the time they open up. I hope you enjoy the pictures"
We will, Jim!


click the pix to enlarge......

[Paul T]

Maggi,

Wow.  Love that silver leaf form on the right in the first pic.  Wish I was growing that here.    Wouldn't mind seed of that Hepatica too.... very nice leaves.  Altogether a very nice little garden with some special treats in there.  Nice combination!!

[Lesley Cox]

I love your hybrids of T. erectum Ian. They're so CLASSY!

[John Aipassa]

Hi all,

Love the photos posted so far. Here are a couple of mine again:

- Trillium sulcatum
- Trillium sulcatum Black Magic, a big, bold and black variety compared to my other sulcatums, although last year it was more black than this
  year (Yes Ian, this is a plant of your stock!).
- Trillium labeled flexipes when I bought it, but it is a hybrid I think now after having a discussion last year on Trillium-L, when I posted a
  photo of it on that list naming it flexipes.

I must admit I am starting to become a little confused after seeing the photos of Ian's sulcatum Eco White, since it looks like some of my other flexipes. What are the keys to distinguish these white sulcatums with flexipes?

Cheers,

[Susan Band]

Here are a couple of  flowers on one of my T. erectum hybrids. There are 2 of each colour and I have been watching them for the last 10 days to see if they fade to be like each other, but the are staying different. They are from the same root as far as I can make out. I know that some years I think the flowers are not as good/better than the last years but this is the first time I have noticed this difference on the same plant 
Susan

[Paul T]

John,

Love that 'Black Magic'.

Susan,

Interesting to see the difference.  To me it looks like they are both from the same growth point, not just the same rhizome, so even stranger.

[John Aipassa]

Thanks Paul,

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

Best,

[gote]

I cut my T grandiflorum 'Snow Bunting' rhizome in two when I moved it some three years ago. The main plant with the growing point was weakend but not much. The rest of the rhizome sent out several new shoots detachable as offsets. Some of these were very weak.
Situation today: Three stems on the main plant. One flowering stem from the largest offset and a few small non-flowring offsets. (No pictures only buds today.)
Göte

[Hristo]

Fab looknig plants all, my offering is a little common by comparison, a plant purchased as T.erectum.

[Regelian]

Nice Chris,

I ordered seed from Kristl, as I hoped this one would be a good beginners plant for me.  I've never managed to maintain a Trillium long enough to get flowers.  Of course, I refuse to give up! Any hints to pass on? 

[gote]

Nice Chris,

I ordered seed from Kristl, as I hoped this one would be a good beginners plant for me.  I've never managed to maintain a Trillium long enough to get flowers.  Of course, I refuse to give up! Any hints to pass on? 

Most should grow in normal woodland conditions. What happened.
There is a problem with them. they A: refuse to show above ground unless they have had a cold period. This should be OK in Cologne.
B: refuse to show above ground unless they have sufficient amounts of undisturbed roots. They start building roots at midsummer.
The result of this is that a bare rhizome planted in the fall will not show up until spring #2 - sometimes even #3. Move and plant at the time the flowers start to fade - not later.
Seed should be sown immediately and kept outside. They might then germinate next spring - if not next spring. First year there is only a cotyledon.
Göte
PS
Please mail me privately I may have some surplus later in the year.

[gote]

plant purchased as T.erectum.

Someone said it should be renamed "Stoopeum" 
Göte

[John Aipassa]

Nice Chris,

I ordered seed from Kristl, as I hoped this one would be a good beginners plant for me.  I've never managed to maintain a Trillium long enough to get flowers.  Of course, I refuse to give up! Any hints to pass on? 

Erectum is not the only 'beginner's' Trillium. Several others are not difficult to grow or to propagate. From my own experience, sulcatum, vaseyi and Western sessiles like kurabayashii and albidum are actually fairly easy to maintain and to propagate too, if you give them woodland conditions. Purchasing mature flowering rhizomes will give you a head start, but if you insist in raising Trillium from seeds you'll need patience. It will normally take five to six years to get the first flowers after germination.

In general propagating Trilliums from seed is not very difficult at all. It is fairly easy if you have patience. Sow seeds fresh in a pot and leave the pot outside in a shady spot and let the weather throw everything it has got in mind at the pot. Do not let the compost dry out, it will give a set back or even worse it will kill the seeds. Generally in the second spring after sowing you will have cotyledons popping up. If you are lucky to have seeds sown straight from the berry as fresh as it can be in late summer, you will have the chance to get cotyledons even the first spring after sowing them. The best chance I have for this is with kurabayashii, but this year two pots with seeds from erectum sown very fresh late last summer decided to germinate in abundance the first spring after sowing. I do not know what exactly has triggered them, to many variables involved.

Do not let dried seeds scare you off. Soak them thoroughly (24 to 48 hours at least) and sow them. I have experienced germination of Trillium kurabayashii from dried seeds from the second spring on.

Since you will have seeds from Kristl (Walek that is?), you will get fresh seeds this summer that is carefully packed moist in vermiculite, but expect to have germination the second spring. I have ordered Trillium erectum seeds the last couple of years from her, but never experienced gemination the first spring after sowing, always the second one.

Good luck!

Best,

 

[Hristo]

Hi Gote, Jamie,
'Stoopeum', makes it sound like a character out of a Charles Dickens novel! The 'ever so humble' Trillium!  
I have never had problems with moving trilliums or establishing purchases, I moved and divided all my mature Trilliums in autumn 2008, I did however ensure that the roots did not dry out! I also purchased 30 new plants which arrived a little lacking in the root department, the majority are up, some will flower. I suspect however they had not been dry stored. I have only experienced the problems you mention Gote with rhizomes that hve been 'dry stored' for long periods, essentially rhizomes out of garden centres and certain other suppliers.

[Regelian]

Thanks, all, for the info.  I get the feeling I simply had some bad luck with dormant stock.  I have had the last 8 years to build-up a woodland type ground for such plants, using compost, twigs, leaves, etc. and feel my chances have improved considerably.  Previously, before I had the house, the garden was stripped of all organic waste every Fall, in the typical German cleanliness craziness, and the ground was close to baren.  I go out onto the streets every Autumn and gather the leaves from beeches, lindens, maples, etc. to build the soil back up again.  Took time, but it did work.  Lilium are finally feeling right a home, as well as Arisaema, Hepatica, Polygonum, etc.  Time for the Trillium.  and Podophyllum (love the leaves!)

I want to start seed in any case, as I feel this is always the best way to maintain a species in the garden.  Single clones are fine for decorative effects, but the diversity is important to me.  Any I love growing things from seed.  Five years is do-able for me, as I also grow Paeonies, Brunsvigia, etc.  Not overnight successes.

Göte,  thanks for the possible offer.  I'll get in touch.