Trillium erectum

Trillium erectum: Maroon Spring Beauty, Questionable Perfume

Red trillium shows up in spring in deep maroon, three leaves, three petals and a no-nonsense attitude. Then it vanishes by summer like it has somewhere better to be. NATIVE AND FABULOUSLY AWOL.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Trillium erectum
• Common Name: Red Trillium, Wake-robin
• Height: 20–40 cm (8–16 in)
• Spread: 25–30 cm (10–12 in)
• Flowers: Single maroon to deep red flower with three petals, held on a short stalk above the leaves
• Bloom Time: Mid to late spring (April to May)
• Foliage: Three broad, green leaves in a whorl. The plant goes dormant by mid to late summer.

Where to Plant: Red trillium belongs in a woodland garden, under deciduous trees, or in a shady native planting. It's at its best in drifts, so a tray lets you start a real colony. It goes dormant in summer, so plant it where later leafy plants can fill the space.

Companion Plants: Plant red trillium in a moist, shady woodland bed with wild ginger, a cinnamon fern and a gold-edged hosta. Asarum canadense carpets the front at 10 to 15 cm with heart-shaped native leaves. Hosta 'Guacamole' adds big, glossy gold leaves with green edges at 60 cm to fill in after the trillium fades. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum rises behind at 90 to 150 cm with cinnamon fern fronds. Hystrix patula adds a native bottlebrush grass at 60 to 120 cm in flower.

Plant Care: Plant in part shade to full shade, in rich, humus-heavy soil that stays moist but drains well. Leaf mould or compost helps. Spots under deciduous trees are ideal, with spring sun before the canopy fills in and shade in summer. Water through the first season, especially in dry spring weather. Mulch with shredded leaves each fall, the way a forest floor feeds itself. Don't cut the leaves until they yellow on their own. Trilliums are slow to establish and resent being moved, so pick the spot carefully. Deer will browse them, so protect plantings where deer are common.

History: Red trillium grows wild in rich, moist forests across eastern North America, from Quebec and Ontario south into the Appalachians. Its unflattering old names, like Stinking Benjamin and Stinking Willie, point to the scent of the flowers.

Final Thoughts: Give it shade and leave it be. The early pollinators are counting on it. A WOODLAND CLASSIC FOR THE PATIENT.