This is the time of year when I go out in the evenings and wander around the garden, looking for new blooms.
I’m rarely disappointed in my search for new blooms. As spring accelerates its arrival, I literally find new blooms every day. The other day, I found the blooms of Great White Trillim, Trillium grandiflorum.
These are native wildflowers, though I’ve never seen one in the woods. To have any chance of doing so, I would first have to find a woods, then I’d need to visit it regularly, and I hope that on the day the trilliums were blooming, I walked by them.
It’s much easier to enjoy them in my own garden, though I should still try to figure out where there are some woods I can hike through regularly. After all, scientists have done studies to document the health benefits of walking in the woods. In Japan, they call walking in the woods “forest bathing” or Shinrin Yoku. Google that to read more about it.
I have the Great White trillium in my garden because I responsibly bought rhizomes for it from a grower who also grows them responsibly, never going out and collecting them from the wild.
I do have some wild collected trillium in my garden, which I believe is most likely Prairie Trillium, Trillium recurvatum. Other common names include Red Trillium and Butcher’s Blood.
I think I’ll stick with Prairie Trillium for the common name.
The only reason this particular trillium was collected from the wild was because I knew someone who owned a woods, who was planning to dam up a section to create a 15 acre lake. When I found out, I made it a point to visit and in that area only, the area that would soon be under water, I dug up anything that I recognized.
And that is the only reason I have a few wild collected wildflowers in my garden. The only reason.
If you enjoy wildflowers, and want some in your garden, always buy them from responsible growers who are not digging them up from our woods and prairies. The only exception is if you are rescuing them from certain death. That is the only exception. And you have permission from the property owner to do so. Always ask.
No matter how pretty. No matter how tempting. No matter if you are alone and no one is looking. No matter. Don’t dig plants from the wild. Just enjoy the blooms you see, take some pictures, but leave the plants so others can enjoy them not only on the day you enjoy them, but for years after.
I know Gail from Clay and Limestone, who hosts Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday of the month agrees with me on this!
I do love that Trillium and your admonition to not take plants from the wild. Happy Wildflower Wednesday.
I don't seem to have any of those big white trilliums in my garden. I should remedy that. I think walking in ones own garden can give that feeling of respite that you can get from a wood walk.
Or, you could come visit me and my woodland garden for Shinrin Yoku and lots of trillium blooms. Trillium I have been collecting for many years now.
Trillium Grandiflorum is our township flower. I got our local Board to change it from Purple Loosetrife which we then tried to eradicate from our wetlands. We own a lot of public property here and the trillium used to cover much of the woodlands. Now the deer population is out of control and the trillium are slowly disappearing. I have wild Michigan orchid growing in my yard. Have no idea how it got here, but I do not want it.
How wonderful to have the opportunity to rescue precious wildflowers from certain death.
Would love to see some more of your rescued survivors.
We in the Western Cape have so many endemics. It could be that just one housing development in the wrong place destroys habitat for one plant or creature.
My trilliums came from an old property just before the home was about to be raised. Am so glad I got there just in time. Makes me happy every spring when I see them bloom.
Very pretty wildflower!
Have a great day!
Lea
At one of my garden side, white trillium populations can be found all throughout the surrounding woodland areas. But on one rocky cliff edge, there is a giant population of red trilliums.
To my eye wildflowers, especially shade wildflowers never look quite right in domesticated settings. I share your love for walking the woods and seeing the new spring treasures and share your opinion that collecting from the wild should not be done.
Beautiful!