Trillium

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.

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. 

While only given its proper species status relatively recently we can all be thankful that the original collector circa 1935 got his credit in the end lending us his zippy name, Oosting, and giving us this excellent and avant-garde Trillium found only in a few South Carolina locations. It’s not just the rarity that makes this haute-couture on the Trillium red carpet, though it has that well-covered too. Eschewing the standard Trillium garb of plain reds and whites this bold beauty pairs a bright acid green with a darkly alluring maroon base while the well-dappled leaves prove it knows how to accessorize.