trillium

[mharlan 0]

Several years ago, I purchased some trillium. They have multiplied and I would like to spread them around my yard. What is the best way to accomplish this?

[Cricket 7]

Would be best not to divide your trillium. They can pout for several years when disturbed. If possible let them spread naturally. You can help that along by giving the plants you have enough moisture over the summer and a layer of shredded leaves.

[mharlan 0]

Is there a way to collect seeds or do they spread from below the surface?

[Cricket 7]

Is there a way to collect seeds or do they spread from below the surface?

 

Trillium produces seeds and spreads by rhizome. Takes a number of years to grow from seed. Its best to watch for native plant sales held by garden clubs and buy plugs. Ann Arbor, St. Clair Shores and Cranbook have spring native plant sale fundraisers.

[carolm 1]

There's usually a native plant vendor at the AA Farmer's Market once the weather warms up. Don't remember if he sells trillium or not. But I think Downtown Home and Garden in AA sells some native wildflower rhizomes.

[Janet Macunovich 32]

Every one of us has factors at play in our gardens we don't even see, that are having an influence. So take the following with the grain of salt that says I may be operating in some charmed environment, as was the lady I'll mention:

I've never had any trouble moving and dividing trillium. I dig them, split them and replant them. They grow. I know to dig deep, like when digging up a tulip bulb. So easy to break the stem ABOVE the bulb, otherwise. Have moved them around like this in our gardens and on wildflower digs with Cranbrook.

And met a delightful lady in Massachusetts whose yard we saw in going back and forth working for another. Absolutely a river of trillium flowing all around the edge. We estimated 5,000 blooms. We saw her out there one day and stopped. Asked her how long she'd been planting them, or spreading them, and how. She said about 40 years but she'd just started with one clump and divided it every year.

Arrowhead Alpines in Fowlerville, Michigan (direct retail and mail order; jump to them from our Recommended Sources page) always had all kinds of trillium and all of them as from our other local native plant growers are no-worry seed propagated plants or divisions from the nursery's own stock plants, not-stolen from the wild plants. Pretty sure Trish Hennig (direct retail) at American Roots in Ortonville, Michigan has several kinds of trillium, too.

[drupnorth 0]

When I moved I dug up a big area of trilliums divided it into many and planted them in my new garden-no problems at all.

[Janet Macunovich 32]

Was in a garden this past weekend -- oh to live in such a gorgeous woods as that client, and how happy I am to be called in to help there!

All over in that woods the trillium noses are now showing at ground level. By noses I mean their white tip, the growing point. That's their normal life cycle, to rest after bloom then resume growing as the soil cools and pause at or just below the surface when their noses feel real cold. They'll sit there now waiting for the fall leaves to cover them, where they will be warm enough and in enough light to photosynthesize. (Remember as a kid being buried in a leaf pile? It's not fully dark in there!) They are thus ready to leap out of the ground early in spring, taking advantage of growing in that short time when trees have no leaves.

 

Just thought I'd say -- because we dug one and moved it; could've divided it.

Sorry I was on my own without Steven the photog, or I'd show you a picture. To non-gardeners it'd look like bare dirt with little creamy prick-points. To we who know, it's the very breath of spring, the promise of the year to come!