Several factors can cause color changes. In Hydrangeas and many other plants soil PH is the primary color determinant. (more acid - more red-----less acid more blue or white) Other factors are Giberelins released in the soil by other plants. and Potassium content of the soil.

Barb, I don't know about trilliums but this has definitely happened to my peonies. I have three in a row, white, dark pink and light pink. A couple of years ago they ALL bloomed white. I thought I had lost my mind so I checked the garden journal that I've been keeping for the past six years and found that they had indeed bloomed the three different colors in previous years. Then last year they were back to their three different colors. I posted a question on the peony forum and didn't get much response. So, I can't tell you what happened with your trilliums but I certainly believe that it DID happen:-)

I know Trillium flexipes (white) hybridizes freely with Trillium erectum (reddish).
Maybe these are a result of potential hybridization?

Rx

Oh, with the exception of "treedoc"'s post, I think I've given you guys the wrong impression. What I have are 2
different species. Not one species changing colour. The first year the white species (trillium grandiflorum) bloomed in large numbers while we only had one red (trillium erectum). This year, in the exact same spot, we got over a dozen of the red (t. erectum) and only a couple of white (t.grandiflorum). What I was asking bascially is this... do trilliums tend to bloom every other year? Or every three? or something like that, that would cause the change we are seeing? The other thing is that it's not even
a matter of "blooms". All the plants that have erupted from the ground have flowered. There are no non-blooming trillium plants that we 'could' have said "oh those might be the white ones and they haven't yet bloomed or they
just aren't going to bloom this year.

Our painted trillium from last year (one bloom) has come back again this year with 3 blooms on it. And one single white trillium we transplanted from just outside our property has again bloomed with additional flowers on
it this year. So those two did not skip a year or anything. But this patch that is completely opposite from last year just has us stumped.

Treedoc...I don't believe that we have that species of trillium here in Ontario. At least I've never heard or read of it in any books or anywhere online in reading about existing plants in Ontario. I'll look it up though. Thanks.

Barb

Barb,

I could be way off in terms of hardiness - I was just trying to come up with a semi plausible reason for the color "change". I am too lazy to grab my Case book down from the shelf......

Rx

Barb, it may be that the red bloom slightly earlier. The colony I speak of in the Yellow Trillium discussion has T. erectum all in bloom and the T. grandiflorum still in buds (or it did five days ago anyhow). I am alittle south of you (though we are in very coldpocket here, flats between the lakes with large hills south that hold the cold in-we are close to being a zone four) and only about a fifth of my T. grandiflorum are open. Some are even just coming up.

I notice the T. erectum are a rhizome and T. grandiflorum a bulb, so I would think the reds would spread faster.

Those are just two things off the top of my head. All of mine are planted in the past few years so I don't have the experience you do.

Barb, I get up to Ontario alot. How far are you from the peace bridge?

PAX
Laurette

I've noticed that trillium (like dogwood), given a cool year, will have a pink cast/tone to them. Could it be just that ? I've seen patches of "wild dogwoods" that were doing a really good imitation of "pink dogwoods" due to cool weather.

I have seen Trillium take a growing season siesta. Usually it is after a pretty rough year. For instance deer browsing or rabbit sampling. But also, ya can't forget that all rodents consider the rhizomes (All Trillium are rhizomatous) quite the delicacy. But if your plants were happy last year, I would attribute it to some little critter having a tasty feast. Trillium should bloom (and practically double in size)every year if well grown.

Thank you Ron...this is also an intersting theory because the trilliums I am speaking of are right next to my shed and we are trapping mice by the dozens in our shed. I wonder if the mice have something to do with it now... hmmm... dastardly mice :o/ (just kidding, i feel bad for the mice but they are too much. They are coming into the woods from the farmer's field which is currenlty being developed into a subdivision so it's not their fault, they are just fleeing to safer ground only to get in my traps because I don't like rodents in such vast numbers). I have small children an pets and I don't like the idea of having so VERY many rodents around that they are taking over my garden shed.

Barb

Could be they had a "bad" year last year and are storing up reserves for next year? When plants can't assimilate enough carbon to keep up with producing roots, shoots, leaves and flowers they have a net carbon loss and are usually smaller the next year and sometimes won't flower. There is also something called "cost of reproduction" , if they produced seed they may have used up more carbon reserves than they were able to assimilate.

Or the mice ate 'em. You probably won't know 'til next year.

Hi Barb,

Sometimes trillium do take a year off. I planted about a dozen T. grandiflorum several years ago but usually only see about 4 up and blooming each year. It's a little hot here for grandiflorum. My parents have T. stamineum on their property and when I dig a rhizome there are often one or two other rhizomes in the hole that didn't come up that year.

Barbara

How about this? Last year most of the Trillium erectum were not mature enough to bloom, or they just had a bad year. This year they are having a good year and/or have matured to blooming size. Now the good part. Under the section for season, Case says for T. grandiflorum "opening just after Trillium erectum in shared habitat." I'll bet your T. grandiflorum will bloom this year, too.

Barb, good luck and please keep us all updated.

Shelley

Hi Barbara (in GA) ;o) and Shelly..

I hope you two are right. I'd hate to think that mice ate all my lovely white trilliums. Just in case I transplanted a single white one farther away from the shed and we'll see if anything muches on it. Had a good planting day yesterday, planted 3 each of "Senstive Fern", "Osterich Fern" and "Cinnamon Fern", Several patches of "bloodroot", one patch of "Canadian Ginger", 4 "Spicebush seedlings", a "Hazelnut bush" and some roadside lilies which I 'think' are nicknamed "Michigan Lilies" but not sure as they have so many nicknames and I'm not sure if they are all the same species. We call them "Tigerlilies" here in Ontario but I think they are the same thing. We have a deadspace between our shed and fence so I just dug up some on the roadside growing in the gravel of all things to fill the dead spot. Have to keep a watch on them though as they will spread like mad once they become established.

I'll let you all know what happens with the white trilliums. All the other white trilliums away from the shed 'did' bloom already or are just in bloom now so I'm still puzzled. I'll have to take photos of the spot where the whites didn't show up and compare to next year. OH! and we had a spot marked "Painted Trillium" but after reading that all the white trilliums turn pink as the flower dies we weren't sure (couldn't remember) if the trillium was maybe near it's fading point and was pink because of that but the flower on the "painted" has not yet unfurled and it's definitely "pink" and definitely "painted" so we are happy about that. Last year it had only one bloom and this year it has four so it must like the spot.

Barb