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We're calling this angustipetalum as it comes true from seed and seems right to us. Others can debate but Trillium nomenclature is still in flux so until it is all settled, this is angustipetalum. Similar to T. kurabayashi, this California native is distinct in this form with large sessile tepals which have no twist. The flowers look as though a French chocolatier created them from rich dark chocolate laden with cocoa fat and infused with Cabernet Sauvignon. They have a depth and saturation of color that is to be envied and carry a smoothly quiet shine. The big foliage is well-spotted early in the season and the entire presentation defies improvement.

A very fine Trillium from west of the Appalachian Mts, this has pedicellate (on a stem) red flowers. This is an easy one and will increase by both offsets and by seeding. It is a good one to grow with other species like erectum as it enjoys casual sex, producing interesting colors in seedlings years hence.

This tuberous Nasturtium species from Chile is quite remarkable and has become a focal feature in our front rock garden until it goes dormant for the year in late July. The blue digitate foliage with up to 7 small leaflets arranged circularly drape and spill until obscured by yellow flowers in June-July. This is adapted to unstable rock slopes deep roots form new tubers. Plant the dormant bulb in well-drained soil deeper than you think, no, deeper than that, still deeper - there you go! A foot or foot and a half gets it done. Propagation is by seed or by tubers with large ones getting cut up like you are planting potatoes.

A graceful Trillium native from Minnesota to Alabama and which has been a very good plant in our garden. White flowers in April above three broad green leaves and can be quite robust getting up to 2 feet tall and making multiple stems per bulb. And the darned thing is seeding itself around in the garden - lucky us! Our own slow propagations - not wild collected.

Sweet Mother of God. It's hard enough to get either one of the species let alone crosses. Flowering size plants we grew from seed collected from a couple of our favorites from the breeding work of Charles Price who deliberately meddled in the private affairs of the West Coast Trilliums in hopes of getting fragrance. These will vary somewhat in color and to the degree they resemble their parents - some approaching chloropetalum, some looking much like kurabayashii - but all well within the parameters of very good.

These are seed-grown from the impressive yellow hybrid Meadow Rue, Tukker Princess. These will gain some height reaching 6'-8' in flower with a nice display of bee-lovin' scented yellow flowers. Does not flop in our sunny and windy garden which is a plus. Self-sows which is not a plus so cut off seed head before ripe.

A Toad Lily collected in China by our friend Bill McNamara of Quarry Hill Botanic Garden which is a superior foliage plant with bold black mottled leaves which are especially vivid when in new growth. In bright shade to part sun, this has strong and stiff vertical stems which have mid to late summer buff to amber-brown speckled flowers. Pretty cool and the first of the Tricyrtis to bloom for us and we find the vertical seed capsules which carry through into fall to have a supporting if subtle role in the garden. We saw what we think is the same species growing in a lightly shaded ravine on Leigongshan in China in 2010. Tricyrtis are undergoing a good bit of name revisions recently and Bleddyn Wynn-Jones thought this might be a different species when he visited here in August of 2013 but we saw the same collection at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh later in the fall labeled as T. latifolia so there obviously is some taxonomic dust still to settle.

Seriously good small Meadow Rue from Greece that brings it earlier than some more familiar species. Makes a rounded mass of fine leaflets on many stems to 12"-18" tall with a full helping of clean white flowers. You could ask for more from a small plant such as this but it would be bad form.

A good Toad Lily for the garden which comes as no surprise as molecular analysis puts it in section Hirtae of Tricyrtis which includes the proven performers, T. hirta, T. formosana and T. lasiocarpa. White flowers whose white base coat is nearly obscured by maroon speckling. 2-4 hours of sun is good in a rich moist soil. A Taiwan endemic species described in 2007.

Surely one of the finest Trillium species and one of the most fervently desired plant in our shade garden. We've got some fine clumps of this in the garden so it seems a sensible response. This is an uncommon species growing in southern Oregon and Northern California. Dark red sessile flowers with a slight twist of the petals that stand at attention above mottled leaves. These should be planted so there is 2"-3" of soil above the growth tip. Perhaps a bit deeper if you are in a cold zone.

A collection of this vigorous Taiwan Toadie from Dan Hinkley. This is quite rhizomatous making a good clump quickly which is really what you want, as the more sturdy stems clad in darkly spotted leaves holding speckled lavender-pink flowers in late summer, the better, we always say. Light shade and can take a lot of sun if given ample water.

Eastern species with nodding flowers of pure deep red. These are nice, blooming seedlings from plants Sue brought from her old nursery in Vermont. Parted with reluctantly and Sue reserves the right to take them back if she deems it appropriate for the welfare of the Trillium. Personally we like Trilliums that clump up sufficiently to divide and this is one of those species.

Here's a lucky dip of mixed colors of the species which we have previously offered as Trillium sulcatum hybrids. We received this years back from our friend and plant fiend Claire Cockroft and botanist Aaron Floden tells us there is a geographic area of sulcatum that has various color forms with flowers that range from white to pink to picotee to red. These will be random selections by us of this workhorse garden species with no choosing as to color by you. Sorry for the Trillium tough love!

Japanese Foam Flower. Uncommon evergreen groundcover which thrives in shaded, moist acid conditions and is uncommonly well suited to clothing a fallen mossy log or rock as it spreads by stolons like a restrained strawberry. Late spring/early summer small white sprays of flowers. Gotta love these monotypic Saxifragales genera!

A rare Toad Lily restricted to a small area of moist cliffs in Kyushu, Japan where its long 2'-3' arching stems can hang in excellent presentation of its upward-facing yellow flowers. This would look pretty fantastic in a container or planted in a Fern stumpery if flowers were allowed. Cool summers and moist - not for hot interior gardens so great here.

One of the few plants the damn yaks don't eat up in the Tibetan Plateau which explains why we were able to collect seed of this herbaceous honeysuckle relative. Bold leaves with absolutely nothing flowers in June which yield smashing clusters of marble-sized red fruit.

For those uninitiated in 19th century French lingo or types of Carnation hybrids picotee basically means this is an edgy plant. Not in the sense that it skulks in alleys with its black-dyed hair swept blindingly over one eye but in the sense that it has a colored edge. Sulcatum is a particularly variable species when it comes to color with the bulk of variations often falling into a muddy mix of reds, pinks, and whites but this ones surprisingly clear with broadly white petals bordered in a wine red. While letting go of any of these may send Kelly over the edge, you can be assured that it will certainly give your little Trillium collection a unique edge over the competition. 

One of the classic broad leaf evergreen small trees, this grows quite slowly and will fill the evergreen shrub niche for many years. This has small apetalous (that would be no petals so you can guess at the wow factor) chartreuse flowers in spring. Just a great Asian plant requiring decent moist soil.

Uncommon Toad Lily that is is uncommonly hard to find as well as uncommonly beautiful. Bold broad leaves clasp sturdy stems which support big yellow flowers at their terminus. Less vigorous than its brethren it is nonetheless plenty stout of heart and a true jewel in the garden.

One of the finest Trilliums for foliage and flower in its best forms. This Midwestern native has sessile or stemless flowers of a brownish maroon. Easy to please in the garden.