It’s too long since I’ve had the joy of seeing a sea of trilliums brighten up a woodland floor. This is one of my fond memories of childhood, having spent part of our youth living near wooded areas in different parts of Southern Ontario. However, I do have a few in the garden.

This year, the red trillium (Trillium erectum) has popped open before Ontario’s provincial flower, the white T. grandiflora that is bunching up in the same shady bed.

Never dig up trilliums from the wild. This little red fellow was responsibly nursery grown and came to me when it was a tiny seedling as a gift from Sarah.

He now has three babies at his feet which I hope will mature into flowers one day. Red trilliums aren’t easy to find in garden centres. Some are listed at Wildflower Farm, but you have to shop in person.

I’m not sure why the epithet is “erectum“, as mine is shy and nodding. Capturing this shot required a few contortions. Any ideas?