Physical Characteristics

Trilliums are beautiful wild flowers with three large specialized leaves or bracts on a stem above ground. The actual leaves are thin and are found underground around the rootstalks. The conventional species are the large-flowered (Trillium grandiflorum) and the Western trillium (Trillium ovatum) which is often called the ‘Wake Robin’. Both of these species have white flowers and as they age, the blooms turn pink. Some trilliums have a flower that faces down rather than turning up as with most flowers. There are a number of other species of trillium such as the purple trillium, painted trillium, prairie trillium and nodding trillium.

Habitat and Location

These wildflowers, specifically the large white trillium, are found all throughout the state of Ohio. They are also found in the eastern United States and the Midwest in areas along roadways where there is shade and moist soil as well as in the woods in rocky areas, on steep cliffs and in narrow valleys and canyons. The most common requirements for growing Trilliums are rich soil that drains well and areas that receive sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon.

Special Points

When growing trilliums it is best to try and simulate the growing conditions these wild flowers are accustomed to in the wild. The leaves that die and fall off should be left as organic matter for the plants. They do not tolerate fertilizers well. A couple of years after transplanting the flower apply a weak ‘tea’ containing manure to the soil around the plant in the fall of the year.

Propagation

The cultivation of trilliums is a slow process. Beetles, flies and ants pollinate the flowers and often the seeds are scattered by ants. Chipmunks can help to scatter the seeds as well as they take the fruit from the wild flowers. After the seeds germinate, the first year is when the roots grow and it is not until the third year that an actual leaf appears. The seeds must have consistently moist soil in order to germinate. Since insects help to pollinate and scatter the seeds, this is another reason that insecticides should not be used when growing trilliums.