Erythroniums aren't the best known garden plants, and the most popular ones,
Erythronium dens-canis, the dog-toothed violet, and
E. americanum , aren't native to my corner of Northern Illinois. But under the trees in local wild areas, one can often see a pool of palely mottled leaves in spring. If conditions are right, there may even be little white blooms, the hallmark of
Erythronium albidum, the trout lily. Unlike so many plants with the common epithet "lily,"
Erythronium albidum is a member of the
Liliaceae family. It is difficult to find for purchase, despite being native to most of the Eastern United States. I got mine from
Arrowhead Alpines, but it's not among Arrowhead's listings this year.
It's not a big, splashy bloom, or a statuesque plant, or one with interesting foliage all season. This 4-6"
Erythronium sprouts,
blooms,
then fades and disappears very rapidly, lasting only a couple of weeks. Last year, they bloomed from April 2 through April 16. The blooms don't even stay open all the time, closing at night and opening with the sun.
is also very slow to increase. So why bother growing it?
I grow it because it's such a simple, charming plant.
It reminds me of a very tiny Easter lily. Trout lily also provides nectar and pollen for a variety of bees and early butterflies.
Trout lily prefers dappled sunlight in soil that is enriched with leaf mold. It is adaptable to various soil conditions and moisture, and grows in Zones 3 to 8.
This post is a late entry for
Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail of
Clay and Limestone.
16 comments:
Thanks for the memory of my old old house and it's woodland garden. I had many Trout Lillies and I had forgotten about them until I saw your photos.
Eileen
I do love the trout lilies~The yellow ones grow all over the hillsides at a local forested park. You have to catch them on their bloom day or you miss the big show~ I am fortunate and have a few of the white form....I wish they would multiple~ they are delightful. gail
Like Gail, I love the trout lilies at my local nature preserves - the speckled foliage of the yellow natives so sweet.
What a lovely little wildflower. It just shows that a bloom doesn't have to be big or splashy to be appreciated.
We have OODLES of the white ones in a nearby woods. Of course, some have mysteriously appeared in my own woodland wildflower garden...
This is a new to me plant...why grow them? Why in the world not?
Thanks for the beautiful photos and the informations. I got some E. albidum from ebay. Now I know why the bulbs are different from the other Erythroniums.
I like what Darla said, why not grow them? They are adorable, sort of a Sally Field flying nun look to the fully open blossom. Many things are very short lasting here, like the tree peonies, but we are gardeners, so much have them. :-)
Frances
Sweet little lilies. I always love it when I find them blooming in the woods. I have tried them in our garden but haven't found a spot they like.
I grow dog toothed lilies and they are spreading slowly. It took me many years to understand that the erythronium does not flower until it produces a set of two leaves. I enjoy my mottled and charming leaves and look forward to the occasional flower at spring.
I have a couple of dog toothed lilies - well I hope so since they havent appeared yet probably as I moved them in the autumn
That's a great lily. I really hope my Erythroniums bloom this year.
Not splashy, but a delicate little flower with an odd name. I think they are lovely and worth seeing them even for a short time.
What a beautiful plant. I grow 'Pagoda', though it tends to get devoured by slugs :-(
Erythronium americanum is native around here and grows in the woods. It seems to be a shy bloomer. Fortunately the mottled foliage is interesting in its own right.
Eileen - I bet that woodland garden was pretty in the spring.
Gail - I'm with you on that. They are slow and take a long time to bloom.
Cyndy - I've never seen the yellow ones in the wild. I bet they are quite the sight.
Rose - not by me anyway.
Kylee - I wonder how they got there...;^)
Darla - I'm not surprised, as they aren't native to Florida.
Lily - good choice. Hopefully it won't take too long before you have blooms.
Frances - I love that description, now I'm going to think "Sister Bertrille" every time I see them.
Lisa - you should try planting them on top of a flat stone. I don't know why that helps, but it worked for me.
Patty - I started off with the dog-toothed violets, which seem to bloom a bit earlier than this species. They are very pretty.
PG - I always think I've lost my dog-toothed violets, and then they surprise me by suddenly being there, fully leafed out.
ROR - I think mine took 2 years to bloom after I planted them.
GWGT - I'm glad you agree.
Plantaliscious - 'Pagoda' is a much larger plant, so I can only think how badly mauled E. albidum would be by slugs in your garden. It's hard to remember to put down slug repellent that early in the season.
Kathy - the foliage is beautiful, but it doesn't hang around long enough.
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