Description
- About this item
- About this cultivar: Trillium erectum is variously known by the common names Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, & because its flower tends to dangle, Nodding Wake-robin. The three-petalled blooms are two to three inches wide, with considerable color variation across its extensive range. At their best these little flowers are quite a startling maroon-red, as is the case with our specimens, but others are known to range through white, pinkish, or mauve. Each flower turns into a small red berry.
- Position: Full sun, partial shade, full shade Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert Flowers: March, April, May Other features: Dappled Shade or Full Shade Loving, Grows well in Ballyrobert, Dappled Shade or Full Shade Loving Hardiness: Fully hardy, grows well in Ballyrobert Habit: Clump forming Foliage: Deciduous Height: 15 - 45 cm (0.5 - 1.5 ft) Spread: 15 - 45 cm (0.5 - 1.5 ft) Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial Colour: Green, purple, red
- Trillium (tril-le-um) is a genus of perennial flowering plants native to temperate regions of North America and Asia. It gets its name from the Latin triplum, triple, alluding to the three parted flowers. Common names include wakerobin, tri flower, birthroot, birthwort. toadshade, and wood-lily. Trilliums are spring ephemeral perennials, whose yearly life cycle is compressed into a short 6-8 week period in late winter or early spring before the trees leaf out.
- Trilliums have an interesting anatomy....the 3 "leaves" that give them their characteristic form are actually bracts. The true leaves are greatly reduced structures that surround the underground rhizome. Trillium seeds are also fascinating...they are attached to a nutritious structure called an elaiosome that insects love to eat. The sessile trilliums whose flower sits on top of the leaf, and the pedicellate trilliums, whose flower is attached to the leaf by a short stem (pedicel).
- Despite myths to the contrary, Trillium are easy-to-grow perennials, preferring light shade and almost any garden soil. The difficult reputation comes from their being slow-growing, so be patient (it is worth it!). Try pairing Trillium with other ephemeral spring flowers like Arisaema, woodland phlox or Cyclamen. Or pair it with plants that will continue the floral show when the Trilliums are done. We suggest Tricyrtis or some of the smaller Hosta cultivars.
Plants are sold in half litre sized pots (9cm pots that are nearly pint sized, about 520ml in capacity). All the cultivars we sell have been grown and tested in our own garden (which is an RHS partner garden open to the public). When your plants arrive they can usually be planted straight out after soaking in water for 3 or 4 minutes. A good rule of thumb; make the soil level of the pot level with the rest of your border when planting out. Another rule of thumb; nearly all our plants will grow in indirect sunlight; we are in the British Isles after all. Another rule of thumb (!); Plants usually do better in the ground, which is unsurprising because that where they can from! Containers are ok if plants are kept fed and watered during their growing months, and in a warmer place during the winter. Try not to over water! During the year plants can be in various states of growth. The same plant delivered in early spring could be much bigger or smaller if delivered in late spring. Please be aware of this when ordering or receiving them. Some plants may have their flowers and foliage cut back when we send them, and look a bit awful! Don't worry, it is for their own good; some plants like to travel light. Similarly bulbs, rhizomes, and some plants may be dormant or dying back for the year when you order them, they may even look dead - that is the nature of hardy perennials so don't worry. Plant them out and wait, perhaps until next year, patience is a virtue in the hardy perennial game. Eventually your hardy perennials should grow back beautiful year after year. Again, this is the nature of hardy perennials - they die back and grow back, die back and grow back, year after year after year. Some years are better than others. You get the picture! Postage and packaging is a flat fee of £3.99 per order If you are for some reason upset in any way please contact us - we're human.
