Native Plant Trust, the nation’s first plant conservation organization and the only one solely focused on New England’s native plants, will celebrate its seventh annual Trillium Week at Garden in the Woods May 9-15.
“There are few wildflowers as charismatic as trillium. Instantly recognizable and widely cherished by gardeners and wildflower enthusiasts alike, they are a wonderful part of spring flora,” notes Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust. “And, like so many things in nature, you must have patience to enjoy trillium, as they grow slowly. From seed it may take five to seven years before the first bloom; clumps with six blossoms may be 50 years old or more. Our collection of trillium at Garden in the Woods became a Nationally Accredited Collection in 2013 through American Public Gardens Association because of the breadth of taxa and the quality of our specimens. It is an honor to be recognized for this collection. Please join us during Trillium Week, when these plants take center stage.”
Trilliums are uniquely beautiful, with three leaves, three petals, and colors ranging from a deep scarlet to snow white. Relatively easy to cultivate, trilliums do require patience and a steady hand as they are slow growers that build strength and reserves year after year.
Program highlights during Trillium Week include guided tours of the Trillium collection (May 11, 13, 14 and 15) and special workshops (May 10 and 12) with expert advice on how to select trilliums, prepare a site for planting and how to care for them once they are in the ground. A self-guided audio tour of the trillium collection at Garden in the Woods is available on the Native Plant Trust website for download at: www.NativePlantTrust.org.
Twilight Trilliums is the signature event celebrating trilliums and provides an opportunity to stroll the gardens after hours while enjoying beverages and light refreshments from Decanted Wine Trucks, a local, women-owned business and live music by Carlos Odria, a guitarist, music researcher and university professor living in Massachusetts. “Carlos Odria is a breathtakingly talented musician, fusing elements of Latin American folk music, Spanish flamenco, jazz and Afro-Peruvian rhythm in a fascinating melange. …it’s impossible not to be struck by the lush sound, the immense technical skill and sheer beauty he creates…” (Worcester Telegram, April 2022). Tickets $30 members, $36 nonmembers. For more information and to register for Twilight Trilliums, please visit: www.NativePlantTrust.org.