Trillium

Trillium apetalon

A unique Japanese species in which petals are missing (hence the name "a" = none, "petalon" = petals). Stranger still is the fact that the sepals (which are green and leafy in other Trillium), have become purple and petal-like. The result looks like a purple Trillium without sepals, when the reverse is actually true!

The flowers can be green, green and red or, most usually, blood-red to purple. The effect is both attractive and unusual, though this is not a big flamboyant species.

This flowers very early in the year, beating our other early risers, such as nivale by some weeks.

Easily grown in typical Trillium conditions of half-shade and a soil rich in humus. Fully hardy here. It remains little known in Europe.

Our stock is true apetalon. The name of the very rare smallii is frequent in literature and 99% of the pictures which you will find by googling "Trillium smallii" are in fact apetalon. The two are frequently confused both here and in Japan, in nursery lists and literature. The two are very different. They can be distinguished by flowers, leaves, sepals and pistils, anther:filament ratio and chromosomes!

Trillium apetalontriapeape	£11.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Flowering sized rhizomes. Large view

Trillium camschatcense Nemuro

This is a lovely true stock making good-sized, white flowers which have broad, slightly recurving petals. This lovely Trillium is slightly fragrant and has a very characteristic purple spot on the ovary, typical of this species and unique to camschatcense and some specimens of the American flexipes.

This is probably the showiest of the Asian Trilliums for garden use. It is widespread across Japan and several Japanese Islands.

Our new strain, offered in 2011 for the first time, derives from large-flowered, broad-petalled plants with a strongly contrasted purple spot, first found near Nemuro in S.E. Hokkaido. These are seed-raised and so will exhibit some variation within the description.

Trillium camschatcense Nemurotricamnem	£19.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large, specimen-sized rhizomes of a very robust form. Large view

Trillium catesbaei

(stylosum)

Rarely available, this is a charming, mid-sized species which has superb reflexed, nodding pale pink (rarely white) flowers held well-poised over plain leaves of deep, bottle green which can take on a purple tinge in early spring sunshine.

Justifiably popular but not always the easiest. It does like an acid soil and is best when there is plenty of humus in the soil too. Pay careful attention to ensure plenty of water but with good drainage.

Trillium catesbaeitrocatcat	£5.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Trillium collection

One rhizome each of 5 different hardy species suited to garden use (excluding the dwarf and very expensive species).

These must be Our Selection only to enable us to offer them at this price but each will be individually packed and labelled.

Please note that depending on stocks some of these may be first sized rhizomes.

Trillium collectiontrocolcol	£22.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium cuneatum

If you have seen Trillium sessile certain that you what you have actually been looking at is Trillium cuneatum. The two are badly confused in horticulture and literature, even by the most erudite of authorities.

Trillium cuneatum has large deep oxblood and red-brown stemless (sessile) flowers which face upwards over beautifully bottle-green and silver-mottled leaves.

This takes to garden conditions very well and makes its sinister "toadshades" regularly, once established. As with all trillium, they cuneatum is one for the patient gardener.

Trillium cuneatumtricuncun	£5.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium erectum

An excellent, easy, dependable garden species with polished mahogany flowers with a black nose above plain green, unmottled leaves.

Increasingly the true plant is getting harder to find as a host of changelings and hybrids take its place. Ours are cultivated true-to-name, five and six year old flowered seedlings, with red petals and yellow pollen as they should have.

Trillium erectumtriereere	£6.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Trillium flexipes White

Large, plain green leaves sit below attractive, large, sideways-facing to upright flowers of pure crystalline white. The blooms are well proportioned and have broad petals. The whole flower has a light, delicate scent.

Strong growing and one of the most garden-worthy species of the genus. This is also a good parent when it makes a hybrid.

This is a plant that we have irregularly only, but this season we have a nice stock of true-to-name mature, flowered plants. Very distinct and attractive.

Trillium flexipes Whitetriflefle	£8.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium flexipes x erectum

A cross, combining the vigour and broad petals of flexipes with the rich colouring of erectum.

There is considerable variation (beautifully illustrated in Fred and Roberta Case's book, 'Trilliums'. The range is through white, cream, pale yellow, pale salmon, orange, pink and red as well as bicolours.

Seed-raised stock, thus we do not guarantee colours. The picture is just one example of many forms but this strain is raised from the best pink plants.

Trillium flexipes x erectumtrifleere	£7.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Trillium govanianum

Known only from scattered localities in the Himalayas, Bhutan, Nepal and China. It is the most westerly of all of the species and is so distinct that it has prompted a few to even think of it as a separate genus.

Stocky 15cm purple-red stems carry plain green leaves below a small, powerfully deflexed, starry flower of deep oxblood red and green.

This species is unusual in that the sepals and petals resemble each other, giving a six-petalled appearance. These contrast well with the prominent yellow anthers and red "toasting-fork" style, that sits atop the flower. The whole is followed by a grape-red fruit.

Readily grown and flowered in a leafy, shady spot but also takes well to pot cultivation.

Trillium govanianumtrigovgov	£8.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium grandiflorum

Plain green leaves and great big white flowers in April-May. This is the easiest of all the Trillium to start with yet is still a must for the connoisseur.

How rarely is the best of the genus also the easiest to grow and the most prolific with its flowers. Given time to establish, this is capable of a superb garden display. As with all Trillium this does take time. They are not for the impatient, but the sooner you plkant them, then the sooner will they establish and flower.

Trillium grandiflorumtrigragra	£5.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium grandiflorum Snowbunting

The lovely 'Gardenia flowered' full double, here with its correct clonal name. The normally three-petalled flower is replaced by whorl upon whorl of crowded, symmetrical white petals of superb texture and poise. Long lasting and stunningly beautiful.

These are flowering-sized, mostly budded, vegetative divisions of the original clone traceable back to Dr. Henry Teuscher. This is the original clone, distributed to several botanic gardens and private growers, notably in Scotland. However there is simply no truth in any recent suggestions that different Scottish clones exist. Look closely enough at any clump and you can always see differences between individual flowers, that's how fairy tales begin!

They have taken years of propagation and the clone will never be cheap, but we now have a splendid stock and have managed to offer them at a reasonable price for as long as this lasts.

Trillium grandiflorum Snowbuntingtrigrasno	£29.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Trillium kurabayashi

Virtually confined to California this handsome and robust species grows well in the UK.

Slightly mottled leaves and robust, broad petalled, upright flowers of deep purple-red, which are amongst the best of the stemless species.

Frequently wrongly named, this is probably the plant that you want if you have seen sessile illustrated in garden magazines, or seen a plant (wrongly) labelled sessile in many Botanic Gardens.

Trillium kurabayashitrokurkur	£19.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Nearly flowering size. Large view

Trillium luteum

Bright lemon yellow, citrus-scented flowers over highly ornamental gold- and silver-bronzed leaves in April.

This takes time to settle but it is fabulous thereafter and I regard it as one of the loveliest and most pleasant smelling of the eastern stemless species, with its light lemon scent.

Trillium luteumtrilutlut	£5.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view

Trillium pusillum

15-20cm tall stems, narrow bottle green leaves and an up-facing flower held on a short stalk. These are strongly, ruffle-edged and come in shades of white and palest pink, with yellow anthers and a delicate dandelion scent.

A superb small species excellent in the garden, but it can be successfully tortured in a pot if you wish. Either way a humus-rich soil with good drainage and patience, is excellent.

Little by little this is becoming progressively harder to offer each year.

Trillium pusillumtripuspus	£9.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Trillium recurvatum

Nicely mottled leaves form a foil below upright medium-sized, broad-petalled flowers of a unique shape, with clasping petals.

This is one of the latest to open, and its different structure and lustrous toadshades of shiny deep red-purple make it very worthwhile. The whole plant is some 20cm tall at most here.

Trillium recurvatumtrirecrec	£5.00		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Large view