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Toad Lilies still plugging along

© Jojo Sigurgeirson

Down in a wet and shaded area of our yard, tree frogs croak and mosquitoes still breed. It's a late year for everything in this particular portion of the garden.

I've discovered the reason for this delayed dormancy - the bog is warm, and I assume this is because of all the rotting items in there. Last summer while digging around I found parts of a deer - not a pleasent discovery, because it was much fresher than you might think. The cloying fragrance of rot is pretty strong in this place.

You'd think it would be creepy, but not with those lovely Toad Lilies still blooming at your feet. They seem out of place, and it's strange the deer haven't ravaged them. Or maybe it's their dead buddy over there...

How they like it, and when they bloom
Now, toad lilies usually bloom well into November in this area, being one of the later-blooming of perennials. By the time they bloom, they are often almost forgotten. Truthfully, if they bloomed in the summer, I don't think they would be as appreciated. In the case of the more common (and more hardy) Tricyrtis hirta, it's Jacob-Ladder-like leaves will have browned at the edges by the time it's bloomed. For a long time this turned me off this plant. The lush, exotic look of it's orchid-like flowers didn't mesh with these brown leaves. Then I saw it again in a perfect setting in moist, loamy soil with ferns, and the brown was lessened dramatically. They need this; rich soil, a bit on the acid side, lots of moisture, and dappled to full shade. The hotter your garden, the more shade they'll need. In some coastal areas they can be grown in 'full sun' (such as it is).

Who do they Like? Who Likes Them?
In fall, many aspects of woodland gardens come back to life. A fresh flush of fern fronds is common when cool days come and rains increase. This is the time for mushrooms and lichens. Even the moss has a fresh coat of growth, and many mosses are sporing. When you consider Toad Lilies in this environment, fall seems like their natural time - cool, mossy and fresh, just like fall. Some of their best growing companions are ferns, moss, Hellebores, Hostas, turks-cap lilies (or any other woodland lily) and erythroniums.

That said, timing is just as important in design as combining foliage shapes and so on. It is a shame to compliment the leaves of a hosta all summer with a Toad Lily when come fall the hosta will turn to that slippery slimy mush. Not very neighbourly of the things. One of the most unfortunate flower displays I ever saw featured a walkway beside a 2 foot wide row of hostas, behind which were clumps of Tricyrtis. You can imagine what happened when people stuck their legs out into the soil (it's just a bit of decaying plant matter dear) to get just a little closer to those enchanting blooms. That's called the old 'caught in the border splits', or 'the botanical garden groin pull'.

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