Toadlily (Tricyrtis ssp.) season! I'm loving this long, warm autumn and so are the toad lilies. A number of them are full of buds but haven't even begun to bloom. Since there does not seem to be a frost in the near future, I should still get to enjoy their flowers in October.
Tricyrtis formosana. This plant has a tall, narrow profile so I am trying to create a "hedge" of them along the back of a border.
Tricyrtis hirta 'Lightning Strike' with striped foliage. It's another narrow, vertical form. Every time I went out to cut a few stems of this for a vase it was full of bees and Monarch butterflies.
Tricyrtis hirta 'Tojen'. I thought this had died after our bad winter of 2018/19, but a stem has reappeared in the garden!
Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki' has substantial flowers, less delicate and orchid-like to my eye.
Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki' has an arching form. The stems curve outward and don't flop like 'Tojen'.
Tricyrtis hirta 'Lemon Twist' is short with speckled leaves and lemon yellow flowers. The flowers are quite large compared to the overall size of the plant. Their size makes it hard for the stems to stay upright.
Tricyrtis macrantha has deep golden flowers with brown speckles on the interior.
Tricyrtis macrantha is a wonderful variety to grow where it can flow over a wall. Even when it is blooming, most visitors to my garden never guess it's a toad lily.
Since rain was forecast for Sunday and much of this coming week, I cut some of the yellow 'Lemon Twist' toad lilies for a vase.
Since they have short stems, this is an easier way to see the interior of the blossoms and to enjoy them.
So gorgeous! Mine died, and I guess I need to try again. I love your arrangement.
Posted by: Kristin | Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 06:46 AM
I have had good luck with most of them but have lost a couple of kinds over the years. Turns out those pretty yellow flowers don't last long in a bouquet. The other kinds have so many blooms per stem that I hardly notice when some of the are done flowering. Plus they have smaller flowers so it's not so obvious.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 07:24 AM
They're all lovely. I continue to regret that they stubbornly refuse to grow in SoCal.
Posted by: Kris P | Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 12:27 PM
Love that arrangement, especially the echoing yellows of the striped grass and yellow toad lilies. What's the small-flowered component (pale, vaguely peachy)?
Posted by: Nell | Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 11:13 PM
Also a most enjoyable tour of your Tricyrtis collection! They appear to thrive on moisture; has this been an especially good year for bloom?
Posted by: Nell | Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 11:18 PM
Where do you get these? I have one my sister gave me but no local nursery carries them.
Posted by: Tracy | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 07:52 AM
That is a plant that grows in the water at the edge of the pond: Penthorum slides (star fruit).
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 08:23 AM
It has been a good year and insanely rainy.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 08:23 AM
Love the vase, and really love the Tricyrtis hirta 'Lightning Strike' foliage...wow!
Posted by: Loree / danger garden | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 10:25 AM
'Lightning Strike' would never have to bloom and I would still love it.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Thanks! I went in search of it online, and think there's a typo in the name (P. sedoides). It's native here (even common, according to the Flora of Virginia) but I can't recall seeing any. It's restricted to truly wet spots, so is no doubt relishing your endless rain.
Posted by: Nell | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 01:54 PM
Have you tried taking cuttings? I did for the first time this month and they're the fastest thing to root I've ever seen (mist propagator).
Posted by: rusty duck | Wednesday, October 02, 2019 at 03:46 PM
Thanks for the tip. I would like more plants of the newest one I just bought, so I will try that.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, October 03, 2019 at 11:53 AM
I was lucky enough to get some from gardening friends and an excellent local nursery. But I have bought them online from Plant Delights Nursery (which is in the south so better shipping prices for you) and Klehm's Song Sparrow.
I've also seen them offered at Digging Dog Nursery in CA (great selection but shipping is expensive) and Avant Gardens in MA.
Good luck!
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, October 03, 2019 at 11:59 AM
I have tried several varieties in the garden. I have only one that can take the vagaries of weather here. It grows and blooms. I just love it yet I don't know which one it is. It looks rusty now even though it is blooming.
Posted by: Lisa at Greenbow | Friday, October 04, 2019 at 05:07 AM