Plant for the "trill" of it this Memorial Day

Every gardener delights in the Memorial Day weekend because it's the kickoff to summer, and who doesn't revel in an extra day off to play in the garden? For me, the weekend is always tempered by the solemn nature of the holiday. We are reminded that freedom isn't free, and we owe it to those who laid down their lives for our liberty to honor them. Unfurl your flags, folks! Nothing says "thank you" like the proud display of our stars and stripes.

Anyone familiar with my posts knows that I planted a red, white, and blue garden near my side door a few years back. Each year I switch it up a bit, incorporating new plants into the patriotic theme. When I step out onto my driveway it's the first garden I see, and it always makes me smile.  At one point I decided to try my hand at a growing a Trillium grandiflorum, AKA great white trillium. I chose this plant for two reasons. First, it's a native of the woodlands of northeastern North America, and it's important to preserve the nature of established species indigenous to our area. Second, it's a magnificent plant of jurassic proportions which I have placed in the center of the flowerbed--a place of honor. Fitting for this space, right?

Trilliums are not easy to grow. They can be tricky to transplant, and they take years to flower. The one in my front yard, below, is on year three now, and I've yet to see it bloom. I'm not discouraged. Gardeners are nothing if not patient. I appreciate the plant for what it is, and wait serenely for whatever is to come. The plant will take anywhere between 3 to 10 years to flower.

Don't feel you have the time to wait? Study the oversized leaves, growing in a whorl around the gargantuan stem. It's worth it to have this beauty in the garden for its proportion and foliage alone. It doesn't scream "look at me" with a riot of color or overpowering spread. It stands tall and stately, proclaiming its status by simply being. In short, it's a sight to see.

I have it paired with plants that don't try to compete for attention, but complement the monumental marvel. Pulmonaria (lungwort) and ferns behind it, ajuga, and the annual begonia in front, and variegated bergenia (which gets a blue flower) and carex (sedge) to its side. All these plants prefer the shelter of the rhododendron, which shields them from the harsh rays of afternoon sun.

In the second shot below, I tried to capture the growing habit of this cool colossus. Note the new, striped leaf just unfurling at one stem. When this plant eventually blooms--offering three massive bracts of creamy white, the size of a dinner plate--it will be to much fanfare! I plan to dedicate an entire post to it, so stay tuned....