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Harbingers of Fall - Part VII - Tricyrtis

© Marge Talt

The last of my 'harbingers' is a must for shady gardens in USDA zone 5 and south. In fact, the "Toad lilies" don't like sun much at all, a boon for those of us with lots of shade. They do want consistently moist soil with lots of organic matter and a bit on the acid side. All of them will form slowly expanding clumps over the years and don't really like to be divided, so just leave them alone unless you really have to move them.

I've grown two forms of these care-free plants for many years. One was sold as Tricyrtis hirta, but is definitely not and more probably is Tricyrtis formosana; the other is Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki'. Both are most satisfactory plants, of whom I'm quite fond.

This year, I've expanded my collection to include:

• Tricyrtis hirta 'Albomarginata' which has a creamy white edged leaf, upright arching branches and purple spotted flowers. Since mine lived most of the summer in a pot, I'm going to have to wait until next year to really tell if the leaves will keep the variegation all season.

• Tricyrtis 'White Flame' also has a variegated leaf, this time from dark green at the edge to greenish yellow in the center. The flowers are also purplish-maroon spotted. Variegation on this one does last all season and is pretty neat.

• Tricyrtis hirta 'Golden Gleam'. This is a "miniature" that eventually reaches 18 inches (45.72 cm) with chartreuse golden foliage spotted with gray dots. Flowers are dark purple and white spotted. The foliage is quite special.

• Tricyrtis shirohotogisu is similar in form to Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki' and the flowers are pure white.

The flowers on Tricyrtis aren't world-shocking at a distance. Unless you have quite a large clump, they don't make much of a show. Always plant these plants near a path or in a spot where you can get close to them so that you can appreciate their intricate loveliness. The flowers are generally, but not always spotted and come in a range of colors, including white and spotted with red-purple and blue.

Barry Glick has written an excellent article, Toad Lilies: The Genus Tricyrtis, that should spark your interest in these plants if you don't grow them already.

Nurseries in the US are finally expanding their listings of Tricyrtis so that we can get a chance to grow some of the many varieties already available in other parts of the world. Some, like Heronswood make special expeditions to collect seed for new introductions or to reintroduce plants that have been lost.

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