Trillium luteum

Common Names

Yellow Trillium, Yellow Wakerobin, Yellow Toadshade, Wood Lily, Wake Robin

Summary

Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum) is a rhizomatous woodland perennial native to the southeastern United States. It grows in shaded woodlands and forms slow-clumping colonies, bearing a single yellow flower with three petals atop a whorl of three mottled green leaves (bracts); the blossoms are fragrant with a lemon scent and appear in spring (April–May). In cultivation, it prefers partial to full shade and moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil with consistent moisture, avoiding overly wet or dry conditions. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8 and can be propagated by division of rhizomes after flowering, or by seed sown in pots in a shady cold frame (5–7 years to flowering size); plant roots about 2 inches deep and space roughly 12 inches apart, with autumn mulch around the root zone. It suits woodland gardens, naturalized plantings, and conservation landscapes, and is pollinator-friendly and deer-resistant.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

12-16 inches

Spread

12-18 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade to full shade

Soil Type

Moist, humus-rich, well-drained loamy soil with a pH range from acidic to neutral

Soil Drainage

Moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil.

Soil pH

Slightly acidic to neutral

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green, dark green, forest green, grey-green, silvery-green, variegated

Fall Foliage Color

Forest green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Cuttings (rhizome)

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and butterflies