My trillium are blooming!

These native woodland plants fascinate me.  I never even knew they existed until a few years ago when I saw them at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens.  They come up in early spring, bloom before the tree canopy leafs out and then quietly go dormant until next year.

Although trillium plants can be found at some nurseries, they are pretty expensive for their size and demand their version of perfect growing conditions to thrive.   My first attempt to grow trillium failed completely.  I planted them in my woodland garden but just assumed they would like to grow in my favorite medium of horse compost--bad choice.

Then I learned that trillium want to grow in deep leaf mold.   My good friend, Denise, has lots of trillium growing around her woodland home, and she graciously invited me to dig up some of her trillium to try again.   This time, I dug out the soil and replaced it with leaf mold from the bottom of my mulch pile.    Much to my joy, the following spring, five little trillium sprouted in my "woods." 

This year, for the first time, my trillium are blooming!