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Lovable vulgar names such as wake - robin , whippoorwill flush , sessile trillium and sweet Betsy reflect the special place trilliums hold in the hearts of nature lovers . A fellow member of the lily household , trillium have plant parts in threes ( hence , the genus name ) and efflorescence scents like yield or rot meat to attract such pollinating insects as gnats .
Photo by : J. Paul Moore .
1.TRILLIUM GRANDIFLORUM
Great whitened wood lily is one of the showiest and best - known species . White petals melt to knock or nigh cherry as bloom age , though some forms open up pink . Its range extends from the Northeast to the Midwest and as far south as Georgia .
2.TRILLIUM STAMINEUM
One of the most distinctive and beautiful species , twisted trillium has spiraled , dark maroon - purple petals and horizontal sepals surrounding a clutches of violet stamens . flush late March to mid - May . Its narrow ambit in the wild extends from central Tennessee to the upper Coastal Plain of Alabama and Mississippi , often on limestone outcroppings .
3.TRILLIUM LUTEUM
Yellow trillium , with its lance - shaped , light-green to clear yellow petals and large dappled leaves , is one of the most conversant species . Though many trilliums have yellow forms , which can lead to some confusedness , T. luteumhas a classifiable gamboge scent . It produces one to two fore per plant , becoming quite impressive over time . occur naturally from North Carolina and North Georgia to East Tennessee and Kentucky in limestone soils . Blooms April to May .
4.TRILLIUM SULCATUM
nominate for the sulcate ( boat - mold ) gratuity of the petals and sepals , the southerly red wake-robin or rainbow Wake Island - American robin occur from West Virginia to Alabama . Typically dark red - maroon flush can also be pink , bloodless or yellow , with livid or calamitous eyes . Leaves are 8 inches across . bloom April and May .
5.TRILLIUM SIMILE
A creamy - white-hot efflorescence with a imperial - black pistil makes sweet lily-white wood lily one of the gaudy . Added bonus are a green - orchard apple tree fragrance and tolerant , solid light-green leaves . Adaptable , though its distribution is small , around the Great Smoky Mountains . Blooms April and May .
6.TRILLIUM FLEXIPES
Bent trillium ranges from the Great Lakes to Tennessee and Pennsylvania , typically in limestone filth . Thick - petaled white flowers perch at a correct angle on 5 - inch stalks , with an old - pink wine perfume . Peduncles can be straight , inclined or go down beneath the leaf . bloom of youth April to former June , depending on locus .
7.TRILLIUM CUNEATUM
A wide distribution has led to many quaint common names — purple toadshade , whippoorwill flower , fresh Betsy and bloody butcher . It can be come across carpeting the timber base in woodwind from Kentucky and Tennessee to the Carolinas and Mississippi . The wide multifariousness of leaf mottling ( silvery green to dark imperial honey oil ) , size ( 6 to 20 inches ) and flower coloration ( bronze , ruby , white-livered , greenish or bicolored ) can make this a confusing mintage to identify . Prefers limestone soils but is adaptable and even somewhat sun - tolerant . Blooms from former March to mid - April .
8.TRILLIUM LANCIFOLIUM
Lanceleaf wood lily has narrow-minded leaf and linear , often twisted petals . Flowers can be maroon , purple , green - tan or bicolored . Not abundant anywhere in its natural kitchen range ; pockets occur from Tennessee to Florida . Most often found in alluvial soils . Though soft to develop , it ’s seldom available . dappled leaf have a silver hell down the center . Blooms February to March or April to May , calculate on part .
9.TRILLIUM RECURVATUM
The prairie trillium has strongly reflexed sepal tucked between the leaf petioles . Has a wide stove , concentrated where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet . parting to a great extent mottled . bloom can be maroon , chickenhearted or bicolored , blooming in mid - March to mid - May .
10.TRILLIUM LUDOVICIANUM
Louisiana wood lily is almost completely limited to that commonwealth ( ludoviciana means Louisiana ) . Petals can be all purple but most often are grey - silver - green at the tips . Richly marbleised leave-taking are often showier than the flowers . Blooms March to April .
11.TRILLIUM DISCOLOR
The natural reach of pallid yellow-bellied trillium is the upper drainage of the Savannah River . Creamy - yellow-bellied efflorescence can have a spicy scent like sweetshrub ( Calycanthus ) . Blooms mid - April to early May .
GROWING TRILLIUMS
Native to easterly North America , the West Coast and Asia , there are over 40 mintage , carve up into two groups : pedunculated ( with flowers on a stalk or cerebral peduncle ) and sessile ( with flowers flush against the leave ) . wake-robin take four to seven years to strive efflorescence age , which , with difficult propagation , has led to plants being dug from the wild , put these wildflowers near the top of the list for preservation .
Appeal:
With elegance and quaint appeal , trilliums can be subtle standouts , particularly with their sleek lines set amid frothy spring bloom . Many wood lily have showy maroon - red , yellow or whitened blooms and attractive dappled foliage .
Zones:
Trilliums are aboriginal to zones as high as 9 and as low as 3 . They can often be grown out of their natural ambit between north and Dixieland , but the translation between East and West coasts is less successful . West Coast specie prefer a mild maritime mood .
Exposure:
As timberland wildflowers , trilliums opt high-pitched shade , though some metal money can take a little sunlight . Protect from bright noonday sun , and debar westerly exposures . deep shadiness is fine in summertime , though the uttermost dark of evergreen plant can keep trilliums from thriving .
Soil:
For best growth , flora in rich , loamy or humusy soils with good drainage and neutral pH. Some species opt limestone - based soils ; some , acidic soils . They can take ample piddle when flowering , but prefer a ironic quiescence period ( late summer through winter ) .
Care:
At planting time , add leaf mould or organic fertilizer . Trilliums do n’t require regular fertilizing , but can benefit from an program in late wintertime . Alkaline - soil lover apprize a yearly dusting of lime . Despite the astuteness of wild rhizomes , most trilliums prefer shallower planting in the garden , 3 or 4 inches down . take out deep leaf litter so seedlings can take storage area . When buy wake-robin , look for “ greenhouse - diffuse ” ones .
DESIGNING WITH TRILLIUMS
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Photos have at the Howe Wildflower Garden at Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art in Nashville , Tennessee .
