On trilliums

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Mon, 05 Jun 2006 06:48:35 PDT
Dear all;
	As a sole midwest voice. I grow quite a few Trilliums and 
some are exceptional. My favorites include T. recurvatum which grows 
like a weed self sowing around and popping up widely in a shady 
garden . The small ruby red flowers are like spring jewels held well 
above the foliage.

	T. viridescens while not a great beauty is native here and 
grows very well with no care at all. And it stays in tidy clumps.

	T pusillum ozarkanum is a TINY beauty. It is the first T. to 
bloom and at about 4 inches tall it needs some searching. It has 
spread slowly in  small clumps of a few dozen plants and more self 
sown seedlings. Amazingly freeze and drought tolerant. The perfect 
white flowers fade to pink over a long bloom period.

	T. underwoodii and T. discolor have to get awards for their 
gorgeous foliage. Both are like subtle mosaics of various shades of 
green and maroon with an almost stained-glass-like appearance. T. 
underwoodii is the better grower of the two.

	I do like the yellows especially yellow T. luteum and others. 
I have a few T. luteum among the T. recurvatum where they mix very 
well, but in another planting of just luteum they glow in spring sun.

	I have another dozen or so species here and there and they 
mostly do well except T. grandiflorum. Really only a single plant by 
itself in one spot only 'thrives'*, blooms and looks 'happy'. Others 
in other spots mostly sulk and the double flowered form has only 
bloomed once in 10 years.

	Some are essentially curiosities like T. decumbens which just 
lies flat on the ground. And others are larger and healthy, but not 
terribhly excitiing (T. cuneatum comes to mind).

	I may have missed all the Trillium comments, but has no one 
mentioned two excellent recent books on this Genus ? Trillium by Fred 
and Roberta Case (Timber Press) and Trilliums in Woodlanmd and 
gardens: American Treasure by Don & Rob Jacobs (privately Published. 
Both are filed with plant-lusting color pix and extensive quantities 
of info.

		Best	Jim W.

* "Thrives' Here in the Trillium context is relative. T. grandiflorum 
at its most happy gets less than a foot tall , has one flowering stem 
and does not multiply. maybe 'survives' is a better word.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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