I ordered some last spring, being really determined to have
some after seeing them every spring in the local forest preserves. I found some
on Ebay and Amazon, as most nurseries do not carry them. I had ordered some
from a “reputable” online nursery the year before, and only one sprouted, so I
decided to try the Ebay route in 2016.

I got greedy and ordered way too many; lots of white
trilliums (not grandiflorum, as no one had that one), some red trillium erectum, and 10 yellow; maybe
a dozen jacks and 20 Dutchman’s Breeches.

I planted them in the foreground of my small “woodland” bed,
where hostas, ferns, and other shade plants are very happy. I didn’t expect to
see anything that year, but to expect them this spring. All looked healthy and
alive when planted, though with no green parts showing. It took me a long time
to get everything in, but the roots/corms still looked fresh and good when I
finished.

In the end I actually ran out of space, and put the odds and
ends in a front yard shade bed, mostly the yellow trillium and Dutchman’s
Breeches. I marked everything with temporary stakes.

I was dismayed in the fall to see many little holes where
these were planted! All I can guess is that squirrels had dug them up and eaten
them. Given that they are woodland plants, I was not expecting this, and had
done nothing to protect them, like the wire mesh I pin down over bulb
plantings. But I never saw any in action, so I can’t be sure.

But this spring, I at least have some of them. Most of the white
trilliums did not bloom, but that’s ok if it takes them time to get big enough
to bloom. I’m not sure if any red trillium made it. The leaves look the same as teh white kind, so if not blooming, I can't tell. I
have the highest percentage of the yellow trillium. Not a very striking flower,
but the leaves are so beautiful, that that doesn’t matter. I think I have one
jack.

Ironically, the “leftovers” I stuck in the front yard bed
were not dug up, and I have most of those.

So…when is the BEST time to order and plant these? Spring or fall, like most bulbs?

DO squirrels eat these in the ground? There is no damage to
the above ground parts of the ones that are growing.

Is there a possibility that the ones planted last year are
just dormant and I will see them later this year or next year?

I would appreciate any advice you can give me about growing these
successfully.