Trillium recurvatum

Prairie Trillium, Wood Lily

Family: Melanthiaceae (Bunchflower Family)

       

·        Hardiness Zones:  4-9

·        Height: 12-18 inches

·        Spread: 9-12 inches

·        Bloom Time: April to May

·        Bloom: solitary flower of 3 maroon petals and 3 green sepals appears to rise directly from 3 broad leaves atop an erect central stem; 1 to 2 inch elliptic petals are erect and clawed; slightly smaller sepals turn downward; matures to fleshy, berry-like fruit

·        Light: part to full shade

·        Soil: rich loam or clay-loam; moist but well-drained

·        Moisture: medium; requires consistent moisture

·        Use: shaded woodland and wildflower gardens, moist shady borders, will naturalize

·        Care: low maintenance; benefits from leaf mulch in fall

·        Concerns: no serious insect or disease problems; watch for slugs and snails; can be difficult to propagate from seed (5 to 10 years from seed to bloom); does not transplant well

·        Native to: Eastern North America

·        Notes: broadly ovate, hosta-like leaves are 3-6 inches long and medium green mottled with lighter and darker patches; if undisturbed, will spread slowly with stems arising from underground rhizomes; does not transplant well from the wild; foliage usually dies to the ground by mid-summer especially if allowed to dry out

·        Supplier: The Flower Factory

·        Teaching Garden Location & Code: Naturalistic Garden H157

 

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Trillium erectum

Red Trillium; Red Wakerobin

Family: Melanthiaceae (Bunchflower Family)

       

·        Hardiness Zones:  4-8

·        Height: 12-18 inches

·        Spread: 9-12 inches

·        Bloom Time: April to June

·        Bloom: solitary, nodding, 2 1/2 inch wide flower with 3 red/purple petals curving slightly backward; flower atop a stalk above a whorl of 3 broad ovate leaves (bracts), each  up to 7 inches in length; foul-scented  flower matures to fleshy, berry-like fruit

·        Light: part to full shade; requires ample sunlight in early spring

·        Soil: deep, rich, humusy, acid to alkaline; moist but well-drained

·        Moisture: medium; requires consistent moisture

·        Use: shaded woodland and wildflower gardens, moist shady borders, will naturalize

·        Care: low maintenance; benefits from leaf mulch in fall

·        Concerns: no serious insect or disease problems; watch for slugs and snails; can be difficult to propagate from seed (5 to 10 years from seed to bloom)

·        Native to: Eastern North America

·        Notes: bloom pollinated by carrion flies, thus also known as "Stinking Benjamin"; if undisturbed, will spread slowly with stems arising from underground rhizomes; does not transplant well from the wild; used by early herbalists to treat gangrene; berries eaten by birds and mammals

·        Supplier: The Flower Factory

·        Teaching Garden Location & Code: Naturalistic Garden H156, Shade Garden F288

 

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Corydalis solida 'Purple Bird'

Fumewort 'Purple Bird'

Family: Papaveraceae (Poppy Family)

   

·        Hardiness Zones:  4-8

·        Height: 4-10 inches

·        Spread: 4-6 inches

·        Bloom Time: mid to late spring

·        Bloom: clusters of small long-spurred tubular purple flowers

·        Light: part shade

·        Soil: average well-drained

·        Moisture: medium

·        Use: rock gardens, borders, woodland gardens, containers; naturalizes

·        Care: low maintenance; benefits from fertilizing once per year in early spring and mulching over winter; if desired, remove spent flowers to prevent self-seeding

·        Concerns: no serious insect or disease problems; bulb rot in poorly-draining soil

·        Native to: species native to Northern Europe and Asia

·        Notes: spring ephemeral--goes dormant after blooming; foliage forms 4-6 inch mounds with finely-divided fernlike blue-green leaves; blooms attract pollinators; deer-resistant

·        Supplier: Donated by Mary Pelzer

·        Teaching Garden Location & Code: Shade Garden F236

 

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Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin

Northern Yellow Lady's-slipper, Small Yellow Lady's-slipper

Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)

       

·        Hardiness Zones:  2-6

·        Height: 6-17 inches

·        Spread: 6-12 inches

·        Bloom Time: May to June

·        Bloom: usually solitary on erect flower stem; prominent yellow lips (the "slipper") are 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches long and usually delicately veined in purple; narrower sepals and lateral petals are 1 1/4 to 2 inch long and purplish-brown; lateral petals are attractively wavy or twisted

·        Light: part to full shade

·        Soil: humus-rich, moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic

·        Moisture: moist to wet

·        Use: sheltered beds and borders, underplantings, woodland and rain gardens

·        Care: mulch annually with humus-rich compost

·        Concerns: slugs, deer, gray mold; tolerates full sun only if soil is kept consistently moist

·        Native to: Northern United States and Canada

·        Notes: 2 to 5 leaves, oval to elliptical, 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches long with distinct parallel veins alternately sheath the stems; 10 or more stems may emerge from a single root under favorable conditions; can be propagated by dividing clumps in spring

·        Supplier: Donated by Karen Allenstein

·        Teaching Garden Location & Code: Shade Garden F235

 

       Content produced through:

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       Questions?  

       Dane County UWEX Horticulture Program