Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Wednesday - February 15, 2006
From: Highland , MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Propagation, Transplants, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Transplanting trilliums in dormancy in Michigan
Answered by: Joe Marcus and Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I live in Michigan. I have a Trillium in my yard and we are having a new septic field put in. I need to know if I can save the whole plant and can I keep it in the house or do I just need the bulb and what do I do with it until I can replant when the field is completed?ANSWER:
Trillium transplanting can be done, but it's better to do it when they are dormant. The ideal time to transplant would be after they bloom in the spring and begin to die down. You probably can't wait for that to happen, so you should remove them carefully from the soil and keep them in pots until the field has been finished. The rhizomes typically are very deep in the soil and dislike being disturbed so you should dig them to avoid disturbing the soil around the roots as much as possible.
There are several species of Trillium native to Michigan:
Nodding trillium (Trillium cernuum)
Stinking-Benjamin (T. erectum)
Nodding wakerobin (T. flexipes)
Large-flower wakerobin (T. grandiflorum)
Red trillium (T. sessile)
Painted wakerobin (T. undulatum)
Wood wakerobin (T. viride)
You can read more about the care and propagation of T. undulatum from Plants for the Future.
More Propagation Questions
Propagating plant cuttings in cut potato from Columbia MO
June 26, 2012 - Hello.
I belong to a garden group and one of the members posted a "tip" she found in an early 2000 garden magazine. I wanted to see if there was any truth to the tip?
Basically the tip was to use...
view the full question and answer
Transplanting Eve's Necklace from Round Mountain TX
April 16, 2013 - We have dozens of small Eve's necklace plants coming up in our large yard. I would like to share them with my friends who aren't so lucky. Many years ago, I tried to transplant one, and it didn't...
view the full question and answer
Rooting cuttings in water from Rifle CO
July 11, 2012 - Found russian sage lavender stems from cutting. Need to find out if I can root them in water?
I also have found rose cutting; wondering if I can put them in water to root?
I have a western chokecher...
view the full question and answer
Replacing Drought-Stricken Cedars
January 16, 2012 - Hello, I live in Williamson County on a couple acres. We have several dead cedars as a result of drought; we're reluctant to cut them down because many of them provide a friendly barrier between us...
view the full question and answer
Baby mountain laurels are ready to move, in Lockhart Texas
October 19, 2011 - I want to harvest the baby mountain laurel plants which are growing under a large bush. What height would be best for the young plants survival? Please recommend a soil mixture for the pots.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |