Trillium Plant

Trillium Plant is a very beautiful flower native to woods and forests – unfortunately it is seen less and less frequently in the wild, generally due to the depredations of wildlife, to which this early-rising flower is just another bit of forage.

However, there has been a considerable increase in the cultivation of this plant using tissue cultures and as more and more gardeners realize just how much beauty it can bring to their gardens.

You must realize that this is a spring flower – it will bloom early in spring and the flowering period will only last till early summer.

So why plant it, you ask? Well, you need cycles of plants with different blooming times to keep your garden beautiful for as long as the warm months last.

And early spring is a very important time – it's extremely pleasant to cultivate a few hardy 'early risers' that will bring greenery and color to your garden at a time when most other plants and indeed trees are still 'asleep'.

The different parts of Trillium flowers tend to occur in threes, thus giving rise to it's name, Trillium. There are three broad and flat leaves, the sepals occur in threes, and of course there are three petals to a flower.

There is a considerable choice of colors available – the more common are red, white and pink with a more rare selection of yellow and sometimes maroon.

Environment and soil

Trillium Plant is very hardy, and indeed it must be so as it appears so early in the year. However, this plant grows in what is called a specialized environment, and it is not well adapted to being grown out of that environment.

Evolution has suited it to being a woodland plant, and if you are to grow it successfully, you will have to convince it that it's growing on a forest floor.

Above all, plant it in the shade – remember that the sun rarely touches a forest floor in any strength, and that this plant is unlikely to survive if exposed to strong sunlight.

Secondly, you have to ensure that the soil that you plant it in is slightly acidic and very rich in organic matter – remember that forest floors are carpeted with falling leaves and that these leaves make the soil very rich and fertile. Almost any organic compost will do the trick, but if you can provide your plants with leaf compost, so much the better.

Cultivating Trillium Plant

Trillium plant is not easy to cultivate, especially from seed – remember that the seeds can take up to three years to even germinate, so you are advised to buy the plants wherever possible.

However, the good news is that if you choose your location wisely, and cultivate these plants well, they will spread over time.

Remember that though they spread slowly they are a relatively long lived species. However, you need to protect these plants from animals that like to eat them.

Plant them with the roots about a foot deep, with the soil acidic. The plants must be around eight inches apart. Remember to protect them with mulch when necessary.

Though there may be some problems in cultivating this plant, the rewards are considerable and will be well worth your efforts.

Summary

Trillium Plant is a rapidly disappearing wild woodland flower. There are many reasons for this. Deer will nibble, rabbits and other wild life will do the same. The good news is with tissue culture we are assured this shade loving perennial will be with us a while longer.

It's a truly magnificent flower. Almost everything about it comes in threes. It starts out with three leaves, then three sepals and finally a flower with three petals. This flower for a shade garden comes in a variety of colors including maroon, pink, red, white and yellow

Try to duplicate the woodland setting when growing this gardening shade flower. Plenty humus rich moist soil. Add composted leaves and other organic material to your soil and keep in mind they do not transplant well. So be sure where you want them so they can stay put.

It is very risky to divide the plant for propagation. It can be done. The safest way is to dig one up during its dormancy period in the late fall separate the rhizomes and replant. It's doable! As for planting seed, well one must have a lot of patience. It takes about 2 years for the seed to germinate. Then it can take a couple of years to flower. So plant many at one time so you'll have a nice collection without the long wait.

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