Plants On The Move?

 

This is an observational post not rooted in science, but it is about roots that seem to be able to move around in my garden. I have lived here for 20 years and in all those years I have monitored my trilliums like an obsessive plant mom. There were just a few Sweet Betsy trillium (Trillium cuneatum) here when I moved in, and I noticed that deer would occasionally munch one so I started spraying them with Liquid Fence every spring.

Trillium luteum on the move

Of course I also added more as I acquired them, either from plant rescues or gifts from friends. One species in particular that I added was a group of yellow trillium (Trillium luteum), a sweet-smelling species that is not native to my area but which are found in moist soils especially over calcareous rocks. These plants were all set out into a 3x3 area. Over the years, I noticed that the population seemed to dwindle a bit (and like others, I wondered if perhaps they were just kaput).  

Over the last couple years, I believe I have found the missing trillium. They have been popping up in places near and far, only recognizable once they got big enough to bloom (their mottled foliage looks very similar to my native T. cuneatum). The furthest one was in my neighbor’s yard, about 50-75 feet away from the original planting (and on the other side of their driveway). I have now found about 7 of these Trillium luteum throughout my property, all confirmed as genuine by their flower and smell.

So how did they get there? I think that critters transported them: either underground critters like moles/voles (both of which I have) or via chipmunks/squirrels (plenty of those too). Trilliums can grow from damaged rhizomes so they may only have had to take a piece/offset of it in order to get a new one growing many feet away from the original spot.

So if you’re missing any bulb plants, perhaps you’ll find them one day somewhere else! In future, I might add a little PermaTILL to my planting holes to help deter the critters.