Erythronium

A robust hybrid of E. tuolumense showing broad lightly mottled leaves and 12" flower stems bearing multiple sulphur yellow flowers with a light brown ring in the throat. A vigorous increaser by offsets - not seed. In just a few years you will have a truly impressive clump.

We received this as the Pioneer Mountain form of Erythronium revolutum and indeed, there is revolutum in them as well as californicum. These are obviously natural hybrids which do occur and perusing "Erythroniums in Cultivation" by Ian Young, these fit his description nicely especially with the parallel, narrow filaments.

Robust California native that has a very limited distribution in the wild. This seems like the cabbage of Erythroniums as it puts up very large succulent green leaves with pendulous flowers of a rich yellow intensity. These increase quite nicely by offsets leading to impressive clumps. Shade.

Our native Fawnlily which grows from California up to BC. It is difficult to imagine having too many of these but judging from the copious self-sown seedlings in our shade garden, we'll soon see. Dormant in early summer so they aren't in the way. Pink flowers, leaves mottled when young

This really would benefit from the heraldry of trumpets when it blooms since royalty does enjoy the pomp of lavish circumstance. But the flowers are such a nice fuchsia purplish pink with a red throat that the trumpets and all the trappings are implied. And with the same good mottled leaves.

This Dog Tooth Violet can really gussy-up the shade. Perfectly formed light rose pink flowers touched with warm caramel in the throat add a lightness and sort of tasteful elegant extravagance to the shade garden. The mottled leaves extend the interest. Imagine this in Barbie's garden...

Dog Tooth Violet. There are no bad Erythroniums and this is near the top of the heap. Dark pink flowers are infused with a blue tinge giving them a wonderful lilac color and creating an easy avenue to naming this cultivar. A star in the shade garden with nice mottled foliage.

Variously reported to be a selection of both E. californicum and E. revolutum or perhaps some hybrid thereabouts, with origins tracing back to historical California nurserymen Carl Purdy and his collection of wild dug bulbs, Wild West indeed, one of those situations best chocked up to the ethos of a different era. Dappling of the leaves is subtler than many Erythroniums, akin to the play of light upon water. Reflexed lily-like flower with a delicate sunburst of soft yellow and streaks of dark red. A dapper woodland resident that would look equally at home in a swanky florist's shop. Moist, humusy soils preferred.

We love white flowers in the shade garden. The juxtaposition against the dark earth and the interplay and mediation with other colors makes white an excellent choice. These have pure white flowers with a light chartreuse throat touched faintly in red and of course those perfectly mottled leaves.

Nice native bulb surprisingly seldom available. Mottled leaves and multiple pale yellow to creamy yellow flowers in multiples hang above the foliage. Very good naturalizer from seed and one of the most requested plants in our shade garden aside from the fact that it is the first plant they see entering the garden.

The epitome of woodland delicacy, and one of the rarest fawn lily species being found only in a handful of sites in Oregon's Northern coast range. flared lily-like white flowers tinged the lightest blush pink at the tips gracing the garden only in Springtime and among the last of the group to flower, bidding fond farewell to the naive joys of nature's annual early stirrings. Incongruously adaptable despite it's specificity of native range and found growing in myriad conditions. 

Dog Tooth Violet. The European representative of the genus which contains our native Avalanche Lily. This selection has great mottled foliage and lovely flowers of an even violet purple highlighted by a throat touched in maroon and yellow. Frans must have been a bit of a dandy.

Dog Tooth Violet. Trout Lily. Avalanche Lily. Fawn Lily. The names go on and on but appellation aside, all you really need to know is that this is one great bulb for the shade garden. Perfect companion with Trilliums and Ferns and such a cheery flower. This is supposed to be a hybrid between E. tuolumense and E. revolutum but we struggle to see much revolutum - maybe a whisper. It is sterile giving testimony to its hybridity and as a result of not putting energy into seeds, it puts its efforts into offsets and so clumps up quickly into something quite impressive. Big fresh green leaves and cheerful yellow flowers 3-5 per stem in April. Nice bulbs.

Yellow Avalanche Lily. Who doesn't love seeing this during a mountain hike in the Olympics or Cascades where these seem to leap out of the ground soon after the snow recedes? There is nothing like a hillside sheeted in thousands of these in bloom. This one you are holding could be the start of the same in your garden..

One of our oh-so-lovely West coast native Erythronium species, here from seed collected by the great Ron Ratko formerly of Northwest Native Seed. Reflexed pink lily-esque flowers with a white center. Seeing the subalpine sweeps of these out in the woods is an experience well worth recreating in a home garden bringing a joyful breathlessness to the yearly spring renaissance. Rich, humusy, moist soil with partial shade is optimal but can flex a bit if needed.