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Trilliums - Remarkable Beauty on Display in the Smokies
Perhaps no place on earth has more spectacular displays of trilliums than the Great Smoky
Mountains.
Each spring I find myself in awe that something so beautiful can be so easy to find
in the wilderness. We are fortunate that trilliums are so plentiful and diverse in our area where we boast at least
eight recognized species of the thirty-five found in eastern North America. Worldwide, trilliums occur only in North
America (forty-two species) and eastern Asia (one species). Our friends in Europe and the southern hemisphere do not
have native trilliums to enjoy.
It is no wonder that trilliums are favorite
topics of discussion among gardeners and botanists. Aside from their stunning beauty in nature, trilliums are among the
most rewarding of plants to cultivate in home gardens; unfortunately, most plant stock is from wild-dug rhizomes (regardless
of what the nursery tells you). Because of this problem, I'm often reluctant to reveal the specific locations for some
of the trillium species that are most difficult to propogate in gardens/nurseries.
As with orchids, I strongly encourage enjoyment of
trilliums in their wild, native habitats instead of in home gardens. With literally hundreds of thousands of
trilliums in bloom within a 30 minute of drive of most people in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, there is no
compelling reason to grow these in your own gardens.
I'm always looking for new and beautiful
specimens to photograph while hiking and over the past decade I've accumulated and cataloged over 1,540 trillium photographs
(out of more than 33,000 photos in my collection). About 80 of my favorite trillium photos have been uploaded to my
photo server for your enjoyment. These include flowers selected on the basis of absolute beauty, odd color patterns,
hybrids and even some genetic mutants. I hope you enjoy the photos taken by Janice and me.
Those of you with photos of genetic mutations
of trilliums (those which are "doubles"/all petals or all leaves) are encouraged to contact me by Email with a description of the plants in your photos; please limit these to plants which you've found in the wild only (no nursery/garden
plants). With your permission, I'll post your photos to my gallery for others to enjoy. Please, do not send
me your photos prior to an exchange of messages via Email.
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Here are a few facts about trilliums which
may intrigue you:
- Trilliums planted from seed usually take 2 years to even come up. Gardeners can
expect first blooms no earlier than 5 years and sometimes as long as 10 years after seed
planting! Trilliums in nature may require 15 years to produce their first blooms. Please, think about that the
next time you consider picking or digging a wild trillium.
- Hybridization (crossbreeding) of trilliums is very common in the wild. Hybrids often produce
flowers in a variety of colors--a fact that perhaps lends to much confusion among amatuer botanists when trying to ID them.
We often see crosses between yellow trillium and Sweet Betsy trilliums--you can see many examples of those in my photo gallery.
Some trilliums, however, do not normally form hybrids in the wild; a notable example in our area is the Painted trillium which
has a habitat much different than that of related species with which they might form hybrids.
- Except for the very picky painted trilliums, most trilliums are very adaptable to a
variety of soil conditions. Painted trilliums, however, survive only in the most exacting of soil and climate conditions.
Like many lady's slipper orchids, painted trilliums rarely survive being transplanted. Many years of research by expert
gardeners and botanists have proven this fact. Please don't dig painted trilliums or even purchase from nurseries
because, in spite of what you may be told, they were most likely harvested illegally.
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My favorite reference text for trilliums is the out-of-print book Trilliums by authors Frederick W. Case, Jr. and Roberta B. Case. If you can find one of these books in good condition for
less than $30 - $40, snag it!
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