Mt. Cuba Center Trillium Symposium

Trilliums are exploding in the horticultural world. There are more species and more selections available in larger quantities every year. Difficult to propagate they have traditionally been in short supply in the Nursery Trade. This week the Fern Valley staff is attending a three day symposium on trilliums sponsored by The Mt. Cuba Center. Mt Cuba is indisputably (a strong but accurate word) the finest native plant garden extant.

Mt. Cuba has a well established program of growing Trilliums in a nursery, specifically the lathe house you see in the picture! This tour stop was a quick short-course in seed production given by Jeanne Frett, a research horticulturist at Mt. Cuba Center (pictured pointing informitively at Trillium seedlings). In addition to other responsibilities she is in charge of Trillium production at Mt. Cuba, was the coordinator for this symposium, and authored a remarkable reference on Trilliums, Trilliums at Mt. Cuba Center: A Visitors Guide that is available at Mt. Cuba Center, and will soon be for sale on-line.

Horticulture is a bit faddish, not in a bad way. The explosive growth of interest in Trilliiums reminds me of Hellebores 25 years ago. But Trilliums are nicer; many of the species themselves are choice plants without too much manipulation! But still...both are woodland plants, both with nice but not spectacular flowers , both have taxa with beautiful foliage, both low, both started out with almost no presence in the "market" (nursery/garden center)and exploded...I could go on but don't worry I'm not going to. Anyway, like most gardeners, I love Trilliums; they are the quintessential North American wilflower. It couldn't have happened to a better taxa!

Mt. Cuba has some spectacular plants

Fred Case, mentioned offhandedly, in his presentation that his garden contains 44 selections of double Trilium grandiflorum. That is an overwhelming statistic. This double Bloodroot at Mt. Cuba is an overwhelming sight.

Because they have a large auditorium, Winterthur hosted the lecturers. Offered as an alternate session, was the chance to wander the grounds at Mt. Cuba for an afternoon with docents and gardeners stationed throughout the gardens answering questions and volunteering to us specimens we could easily have overlooked. What an opportunity. The temperature pushed up past 80 F as if some omnipotent conspirator was forcing flower buds open just for us. Well...maybe not, but it was wonderful.

Helonias bullata,the Swamp Pink,with its curious banksian inflorescence combining pink petals and blue anthers, was flowering around the pond. Numerous Trilliums had opened and more were budded. We saw rare beauties like Shortia and Epigaea, double-flowered and variegated forms of a variety of native wildflowers, and dozens of taxa curious and beautiful. One of my favorite plants, Fraser's Sedge, Cymophyllus fraserianus, was flowering. Theres just something about the flower. I changed camera batteries twice.