Trillium 2011

[t00lie]

Hello Gote

I used to divide Trillium's in January / February with success ,( i know a number of NZrs take this action then as well),,however the last few years most weekends at that time I've been in the 'wild' field tripping, so i divide clumps of various sps when i can in late March ,April and late May.

In that respect plants survive ,to put up a healthy leaf in the spring --some are non flowering but not all.
It may well not be the 'best' ?? time, but works for me.

It is interesting you and some others have a different experience  to mine.
Why that is i don't know --climate ?--after care? ........

When do you think your late divisions died ?--prior to emergence in spring or over summer ? .

Cheers Dave.

Ps I have dug up and moved established clumps at peak flowering ,including T.grandiflorum and as well planted out at any time of the year ,again with success.

[gote]

I lost a number of offsets. They were severed from the main rhizome in the fall. The reason for the losses was most probably that they did not establish any roots that season. Thus they did not send up any leaves in the following spring and were subsequently so weakened that they died.
The same operation performed at the time of flower starting to fade is generally a sucess. Practically all offsets emerge next spring. I have never found any important setback if the green parts were severed just after the time of flowering.

Trillium buds do not develop if they have not been subject to a cold period. Thus if planted in the spring nothing happens above ground that year.

They will also not emerge above ground unless they have sufficient amount of roots. Root development starts approximately when the flowers begin to fade. The roots generally last three years and in some instances one set or roots is not sufficient. This is the reason why some bought rhizomes do not emerge until after the second summer season.

It is possible to replant nearly anything at anytime if sufficient amounts of TLC are employed. However, if it is a question of dividing and severing rhizomes, the fall is definitely not as good as mid-summer.

As I wrote, this has been discussed on the Trillium list and several members have reported the same experience as I have done.

Cheers
Göte

[PeterT]

A trillium I bought last year in flower here, Trillium tiwanense BSWJ 3411, it opend white and has faded pink. Also a nice form of Trillium luteum (I have another form of it -or hybred with mud coloured flowers)

[PeterT]

Trillium luteum

[manicbotanic]

peter that taiwanense looks like it needs splitting!!!!!
it will do it good.

[PeterT]

Sorry Shaun, its only got one nose yet, maybe next year  

[t00lie]

Thanks Gote

Might try a few divisions later on this year at the time you recommend. 

In the meantime thought you might like to see a few pics i took yesterday of divisions i took 'late' in 2010.

Trillium chloro divided late April 2010----shows new roots growing--with a close up of previous seasons roots --some damaged but others with an active root tip.





Trillium luteum divided late March 2010 showing active roots.



While i can confirm they leafed up this last spring unfortunately i cannot remember if they flowered.Duh !

(I could show you a number of other successful sps divisions --at a guess ,about 200  taken late ), of the now 400 plants i have potted up.......

Not withstanding the above i note your comments regarding losses and as i lurk on Trillium L ,the matters recorded there ,so it may be more applicable for Knud to divide when you suggest.

Cheers Dave 

[jshields]

... Also a nice form of Trillium luteum (I have another form of it -or hybred with mud coloured flowers)

Peter, I've seen brown-ish flowered T. luteum growing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, far from the nearest T. cuneatum or any other brown or red sessile trillium.  A friend collected a piece of that clump, but I did not get any of it for DNA testing.  It seems to be a color form that occurs in populations of wild luteum, but at a very low rate.  DNA testing would confirm this, I suspect.  T. cuneatum and T. luteum have strikingly different DNA amounts.

Jim

[DaveM]

Some trilliums in flower in the garden today:

T grandiflorum
T erectum ssp albiflorum
T luteum

[PeterT]

... Also a nice form of Trillium luteum (I have another form of it -or hybred with mud coloured flowers)

Peter, I've seen brown-ish flowered T. luteum growing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, far from the nearest T. cuneatum or any other brown or red sessile trillium.  A friend collected a piece of that clump, but I did not get any of it for DNA testing.  It seems to be a color form that occurs in populations of wild luteum, but at a very low rate.  DNA testing would confirm this, I suspect.  T. cuneatum and T. luteum have strikingly different DNA amounts.

Jim

Thanks Jim

[Knud]

Thank you, Dave and Gřte, for an enlightening discussion. Hearing different experiences forces me to reflect on my practice, not only with trilliums, and I learn all the more, thank you for sharing your experiences.  I cannot help thinking that climate plays a role, or at least that there must be conditions conducive to development or reestabliment of new roots after division. We normally have a mild autumn and winter (not this last one, though), with many trilliums staying green quite late into September. We often get 6 to 8 weeks of (cool and slow) growing conditions after August, so that a division even in early September would get several weeks potential growth before winter. I guess this is where some TLC is called for; not to damage already developed new roots during splitting and replanting.

Well, I will probably opt for an earlier division, if that means I will have more robust plants to work with on my first division of trilliums. And here, gardening in summer is infinitely more pleasant than in autumn.

I have included a picture of a group of trilliums that has changed since it was planted. I bought and planted a T. cernuum and a T. vaseyi 5-6 years ago, those are the white and maroon flowers in the picture. This year I noticed new blooms, which must be hybrids between the two. They have nice uniform colour inside the petals, but are speckled on the outside. The white one I suspect is a T. rugelii from what I can judge from pictures I have seen. By the way, I had to lift its "head" as it normally hides it completely below the leaves.

Knud

[gote]

Thanks Gote

Trillium chloro divided late April 2010----shows new roots growing--with a close up of previous seasons roots --some damaged but others with an active root tip.

Cheers Dave 

I think your picture proves my point. These "new" roots emerged from the rhizome many months ago. They clearly show the wrincles from contracting and probably started at the time I suggest transplanting takes place. What I advocate is to divide offsets just before the new roots emerge. This will minimize damage to them. A smallish offset may lack roots altogether or nearly so and if transplanted at the wrong time it will lie in the ground doing nothing and this increases the risk of failure.
Of course climate will influence the timing and Trilium species growing wild in areas where the difference between the seasons is less pronounced are likely to be less sensitive.

On a more general level. Plants do better if transplanted at a time when they naturally develop roots. Some plants will start developing new roots any time of the year some will not. Lilium martagon is a typical case. If transplanted in the fall it will "sulk" the full next year because just like Trilliums it develops its roots to support it next year in the summer but unlike Trilliums it does not have a mechanism to stop it from trying to flower so the spike will start and then fade because there are not enough roots. Terrestial orchids are sometimes the same and since they tend to have roots that do not branch they are even more sensitive. I wish books would tell us when roots develop. It is also helpful when we take cuttings.

Göte





 
 

[Afloden]

  I have always tried to replant, divide, and propagate Trillium while in flower, which negates the possibility of seed in most cases, but increases the chance of flowering the next spring simply because Trillium are making new roots while in flower at the apex of the rhizome. These new roots branch over the summer, but no new roots are made at the apex after the new bud (rhizome growth) has finished. Dividing after that usually leads to sulking in the garden the next year and possibly another year of recovery.

 Aaron

[Janis Ruksans]

I was very busy last weeks - trip to Greek Islands, visit of famous top gardeners to my nursery last weekend, reception at President of Latvia, so I didn't follow Forum for some time, Only today can show you few Trilliums (haven't time to work on pictures)
Trillium decumbens
Trillium grandiflorus Flore Plena  - both from New Zealand
and
Trillium luteum - from Vaclav Jošt, Czech Republic
Janis

[KK-Ann Arbor]

Trillium in my garden, 2011