Wake-Robin or Trillium
Trillium species (MELANTHIACEAE, formerly LILIACEAE)
Planting and Growing Wake-Robin
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow wake-robin or trillium in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and root structure of wake-robin or trillium
- Season of bloom and planting time for wake-robin or trillium
- Plant hardiness and growing conditions for wake-robin or trillium
- When, how deep, and where to plant wake-robin or trillium
- How to plant wake-robin or trillium
- Watering, fertilizing, care and pests or diseases of wake-robin or trillium
- Landscape and indoor uses of wake-robin or trillium
- Comments about wake-robin or trillium and its features
Growing Wake-Robin
Spring rhizome. Deciduous. About 30 species. Stands 6–20 in. (15–50 cm) tall. Oval, short to midlength green leaves divided in whorled groups of 3 leaflets.
Commonly cultivated species include giant trillium, Trillium chloropetalum (formerly Trillium sessile); red trillium, Trillium erectum; and Pacific trillium, Trillium ovatum.
See also snow trillium, Trillium grandiflorum.
Wake-Robin Planting and Care Guide
Flowers
Spring. Purple, white, yellow. Solitary flowers, 2–3 in. (50–75 mm) wide, usually with 3 sharp-pointed petals.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 2–9; ground hardy, zones 4–8.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained humus. Fertility: Rich. 6.0–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Autumn in partial to full shade. Space 6–12 in. (15–30 cm) apart, 4 in. (10 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Moderate. Keep evenly moist year-round. Fertilize annually in spring with acidic fertilizer, as for azalea, camellia, or rhododendron. Mulch. Propagate by division, seed.
Lifting and Storing
Dark, 40–50°F (4–10°C), in porous container of dampened peat moss.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, borders, drifts, edgings, mounds in natural, rock, shade, woodland gardens. Pest and disease resistant. Deer, rodent susceptible.