My Toad Lilies are kind of a PITA...that's what I can tell you about them, lol. I have three kinds, T. hirta 'Miyazaki', T. 'Moonlight Treasure', and a seed raised T. macrantha ssp. puberulum. Although adorable, the Moonlight Treasure is by far the slowest growing of the three. Some years it puts on a good show and others it doesn't. I have a feeling this is a cultivar that naturally lacks vigor or would do better in a milder climate.

I would say Tricyrtis is one of the top "Diva Plants" in my garden- hard to please, picky, demanding, and pitches a fit if it doesn't get what it wants. Take my 'Miyazaki' for instance. The first spot I put it in was a shady site that stayed moist and had nice gritty soil for drainage. It must have been too much shade because the thing leaned/flopped tremendously and had nasty looking foliage. I suspected the foliage thing was due to lack of sunlight and possibly air circulation (the situation is in a corner by the house/patio/fence and a wee bit crowded with other shade plants), so I moved it out to the front shade garden under a tree. It does get more sun here than in the previous location though. First year it did well and the foliage problems cleared up. Second year it must have started to come into competition with the tree roots or dried out too much because the plant looked stressed, as the foliage would yellow and turn brown at the edges.

I think the ideal spot for these guys is one in only part shade, in an open spot with soil that doesn't dry out. Trouble is I don't have any locations like that open in my garden, LOL!!!

I also agree with Kevin about the bloom time (although I personally don't mind the orchid like flowers in fall! ;-)). We get somewhat early frosts here too, so the window of enjoyment with these plants can be limited, particularly if you plant them in a shadier spot.
CMK

i am with chris on this one.. one of the top foo plants.. as in foo foo ..

apparently they do not like mineral sand .... and abject neglect .. read that.. no water in summer ...

so they have gone to that great pond in the sky ... and good riddance .. lol

ken

Guess it must be a locational thing cuz toad lilies excel in my area :-) Lot of moist woodlands around and that's the type of situation they prefer and the PNW is the type of climate they like, quite similar to their native Asian environments.

They do so well here and are so popular, 5 different tricyrtis are included with the Great Plant Picks program, which identifies plants of merit for Pacific Northwest gardens:

� T. 'Tojen': small, pale lavender flowers

� Tricyrtis 'Sinonome': small, creamy-white flowers with burgundy-purple spotting and blotching

� T. 'Taipei Silk': small white flowers with violet-lavender edging

� T. formosana 'Gilt Edge' (variegated toad lily): small white flowers with purple spots

� T. formosana 'Samurai' (variegated toad lily): small purple flowers with darker purple spotting

Damn! And here I just bought two Tricyrtis plants, created a PERFECT
planting bed for them in partial shade, sited right near a table and two
chairs for easy viewing while dining. . .only to learn that they're gonna look
like FOO-FOO !

Saw a good-sized bed of them on a garden tour last year and was smitten. . .
and determined to replicate the scene. I'll bet if I checked under the mulch
I'd have discovered plastic pot rims, fresh from the nursery!

Carl

My toad lilies were totally eaten by deer the first season just as they were getting ready to bloom. They and yews are the only plants seriously damaged by deer in my garden.

no carl.. not if you avoid abject neglect.. as i stated .. its a water thing.. most likely

and boy.. the cultural differences between the PNW and MI mineral sand with august temps hovering around 90 ... and usually drought ... clearly underscores its preferred culture..

ken

Tojen has done well for me here, in partial shade and heavy soil. Sinonome didn't come back after a fairly normal winter. Miyazaki hasn't died, but also has yet to put on the show Tojen can.

It seems to be one of those plants that isn't hard if given what it wants, but what it wants is a bit of a secret. For one thing, here at least, it isn't really a shade plant. It wants at least partial shade, and even there can lean for more. Also, there are zone 5 varieties and zone 6 varieties, and they seem to mean it. They are fine with natural rainfall here, even in our droughts.

Well, I really don't do much for Toad lilies. Actually, I don't do anything,it must be the clay soil. My main problem is I'm going to have to move 2 of the five because they have gotten so big, that they are in the way. My other problem is according to my notes, I should have 4 different ones. Somehow I have 5 and I have no clue what it is. So I'll have to wait until it blooms.

Kevin, I would love to trade you for your white towers if your interested.

Any chance you could post pictures of your TL moril?

Here they are.
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Tricyrtis hirta hairy

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Tricyrtis formosa samurai

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Tricyrtis Tojen

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Tricyrtis hirta variegated?

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or this one could be Tricyrtis hirta variegated. Just not sure.

I have killed at least six, in the ground and in pots. I'm over them!

Seem to do well for me here. I just stick em in the back of the garden and they are clumping nicely (3 years). Some are flopping a little bit, but a stake or two and they're good to go. One of the 5 is starting to show some buds and they'll pretty much bloom right through on and off until a hard frost. I have them in a tough area in the garden that only hostas and astilbes seem to appreciate.

They reseed and grow with neglect for me. Sometimes rabbit candy, but otherwise no trouble at all for me. Perhaps its my clay they like.

tj

They grow very easily here: under my apple tree with Hostas, Astilbe, and Bleeding Hearts. Started with one clump and they have grown and been divided a few times. Adds interest right up to frost.

I am the original poster and 8 weeks later here are blooms from one of my "Gates of Heaven". And as someone wisely pointed out these plants need to be positioned so that one can enjoy these small delicate flowers i.e. as close to the front as possible.

My Miyazaki hybrid has started blooming. I love its flower.

It looks like it is going to have a ton more this season.

Great close-up. Thank you.

well, I am with Kevin here - spring is the time for swooping down to swoon and sigh over tiny jewels - erythroniums, epimediums, hepaticas, snowdrops, primula, saxifrage...and so on. By autumn, it is all harvest abundance, ramping great swathes of red and gold, dahlias, asters, 2metre high corn, climbing roses and vines....I just don't want to be squinting at minuscule dainties - and by the time October comes around in my garden, I wouldn't be able to find them under the jungly leafage, anyway. It's just wrong.

campanula the glorious fall flowers you mention are generally full sun plants. TL show their 'stuff' in another area of the garden ie shady regions...in fact very much shady is possible. But as I had posted, for sure these TL need to be very close to the front for one to be able to see its special flowers.

This is my second year with Tojen. The flowers are lovely but of course small. But that is OK since my three plants are next to a walkway with hellebores and dicentras for companions. No bright, big fall competition.

I have to disagree, campanula. When late summer gardens look overgrown and scraggly with browning flopping flowers, toad lilies add a clean ornateness. Toad Lilies have exquisite flowers. I think they are one of the most interesting and unique flowers in the garden. My flowers are nearly over 1.5 inches across; not tiny by any measure, though you do have to look closely to really appreciate the detail -- though the same goes for my bletilla (terrestrial orchid). Toad lilies add some late-season interest to my full shade bed.

oh, I know they have a certain charm, just not one I appreciate in October. My shady areas have long been left to cope on their own and are usually a green mass of fernery and epimediums, BUT, if I had a more refined garden, then I can definately see the possibilities for plants such as trycirtis....but refinement is not a word which comes to mind when considering either myself or my garden....and as for ornateness (ha ha).

I just purchased 'Empress' and they are white with deep plum/purple spots. The flower is stunning.

Mine are the stars of my garden--bigger every year and no disease issues--I don't know why--maybe I'm just lucky. I was thinking, since they do so well--with no watering, feeding or coddling whatsosever, that I need to get more. I'll try to get a picture up.

A flower on my 'Samurai'.

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And a picture of the plant, doing better than some of the hostas around it.

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Karen

Problem for me is lily beetles.

The latter breed on and eat lilies (Lilium hybrids) and fritillaria , but also eat toad lilies.

Got rid of all of them well over five years ago.
Maybe without the lilies and fritillaria, it's time to try toad lilies again.

Presumably, overwintering adult lily beetles should be long dead by now.

Just couldn't resist adding another pic or two of my toad lilies now in full bloom.

Those are really pretty, mistascott.

Karen

mistascott

I can see some of the leaves on your plant have that "rust-like stuff". How bad is it for you? That's the biggest problem I'm been battling for a few years now and this year it's absolutely terrible. I even moved an entire colony to improve air circulation and it's worse than ever. Tried fungal sprays too. Tomorrow, they get composted. I can't stand looking at the things.

Kevin

If your plants have a disease or fungal problem, I wouldn't compost them. I'd bag them up and toss them in the garbage to prevent the spread.

Karen

Lots of different kinds of tricyrtis here, from seed raised to hybrids. The all do well, and I just don't care. I can't make myself love them. Their flowers are pretty close up, but the plants are underwhelming. More sun produces more flowers. They are nice enough amidst the hosta and ferns, and are useful for their late show, but I just can't love them. I have been lucky and none have succumbed to rust.

Mine get absolutely zero sun and have an abundance of flowers. They are in a small, poorly drained garden bed with astilbe and pulmonaria. From several feet away they are interesting, though perhaps not showy.

I have no idea what the rust stuff is, but it isn't affecting the performance of the blooms or anything around it. My hunch was poor air circulation, but perhaps it isn't that.

From what I am able to gather, overhead watering and hot humid summers may be mostly to blame. I will have to work on watering from closer to ground level.

I'd love to see pictures of how they are used in your gardens. Wider shots. I've purchased 7 Empress still in thier pots. Some days I think that several should be returned to nursery. Other days, I think I can use all seven. I need some inspiration. Thanks.

mistascott

I've read that too - the thing about overhead watering - and it bugs me to h@ll!! How in the heck are you suppose to avoid that? What happens when it rains? Should we be putting little umbrellas over our plants? Sorry. Anything that fussy has no place in my garden.

Anyways.....
This is probably the reason for the rust stuff. Copied from some online site:

Problems

Toad lilies are relatively pest and disease resistant, but they can suffer from anthracnose, a fungal disease that is signified by the development of small orange spots on the lower stem and leaves of the plant. Over time, the spots will migrate up the plant and may deform the leaves or merge into raised brown lesions, causing the leaves to drop from the lily. Anthracnose can be avoided by watering at the base of the plant and keeping the leaves dry. An application of fungicide in the spring can also reduce the chances of the disease developing. Rabbits love toad lilies and will decimate an entire planting if the lilies are not fenced

Kevin

The bunnies in my backyard didn't get that memo. And I sure won't give it to them!

Karen

Mine now has probably 3-4 dozen flowers open and is attracting bumble bees like a magnet. I didn't know bees loved these flowers so much -- a very pleasant surprise.

I personally LOVE Toad Lilies. Each individual flower is like an intricate jewel. However, I have lost nearly every single one I planted, and I think I have planted over a dozen or more?, in the conditions that they are 'supposed' to love, ie shade/part shade. So in desperation a couple of years ago, I planted three plants that I had snagged for next to nothing, in the front of my sunny perennial border (Mind you, here in the PNW surrounded by 30+ ft tall cedars, etc, I don't get a ton of sun). Today, Oct 7, they are still blooming like crazy (have been for over a month). ONly thing is, they are TALL, a little too tall to really be able to appreciate the intricacy of the blooms without having to lean the stems over. However, they make excellent cut-flowers, and then you can fawn over them properly! LOL

UPDATE:

Here is a close-up of one of our TL. The flowers are (so) small and delicate that I for sure would not be able to appreciate them if they bloomed earlier in the season. But right now they are one of only a few perennials that are in true bloom and so I do take notice.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 17:54

I'll second rouge21's comment and state my toad lilies (growing in both full & part shade) add more fall color to the garden as the fall season winds down. The bees are all over the colorful, speckled small blooms which is gratifying to someone who gardens for the pollinators. Sorry I don't have a pic to share.

As Kevin observed, they're a relatively pest- (so far, anyway) & maintenance-free perennial in my soil/zone. They also bloom when everything else is pretty much finished for the year altho' for some reason I have a black snakeroot in full bloom in full shade at the moment. Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower is still producing blooms along with Montauk daisy but there's not much else other than the random perennial geranium in bloom this late.

wieslaw59 , tell me about the virus on Raspberry Mousse. Just bought one the other day.

I happen to like White Towers, but no lavender coloring on mine.
I ignore my trycirtus plants pretty much but seek them out at this time of year. They're hard to photograph for me.

Mine are also in full bloom right now. From a distance, they don't look like much or even draw your eye. But up close they look exquisite!

Mine were attacked repeatedly by rabbits throughout the growing season, so my plants are not as tall or full as they should be this year.

I have wanted to try some of these for years. There's a lot of shade in my yard, and I love bright color in Fall: whatever I can get that will show through fallen leaves is likely to be aces with me. [grin]

A month ago, I purchased small starters: two each of two different varieties. I gave them a little peat and chicken manure, because I've read that they like acidic soil. They are in two different locations. (Both get some morning sun in Spring, but less sun later on as the trees leaf out.)

It's only in the last week or so that I've seen any new growth on them, but I'm optimistic. I was also warned that slugs regard them as the caviar of the plant kingdom, so I've been keeping traps near both areas. (I've seen a few nibbles of the lower leaves, but nothing serious.)

Wish me luck! :)

This post was edited by ms_xeno on Tue, May 6, 14 at 15:53

ms_xeno - another slug deterrent is crushed eggshells. I sprinkle them around my emerging hostas in spring each year. Slugs won't crawl over the shells because they cut them.

I've read that they like acidic soil

I'd say that's an accurate statement--my soil is acid sandy loam and my TLs grow healthy & multiply the longer they're growing in both full shade and part sun beds.

Thanks for the info, gardenweed. I haven't tried shells (not many to use in a 2-family home), but I swear by my cheap beer in old yogurt containers. I honestly wish that other local pests were as easy to deal with *sans* poisons as the slugs are.

If I ever get these things to bloom, I'll add a picture to this thread.

I love my TLs! Every year, I look for these delicate blooms and know that Fall has fell and it's time to do the fall routine. I also find it interesting that there is a look-alike weed that sneaks into the TLs that looks almost identical to the TL stems. They have red on their stems, though, so I can pull those out. Nature is fascinating and intelligent! I'm glad to praise the tiny TLs, as no one I show it to is nearly impressed by its beauty as I am.

I can confidently say that I no longer have any "Toad Lilies" in our garden. Slowly but surely they have all faded away :(.

Like mori1, I also have heavy clay soil, and toad lilies grow like crazy for me with no amendments. I have 9 varieties doing well, and just picked up 2 more on clearance that were labeled 'Samurai', but obviously are not. One has blue on the flower tips like 'Blue Wonder', but has a gold edge on the foliage. The other has flowers looking much like 'Dark Beauty', and plain green, tall foliage.

I've noticed a lot of mislabeling on toad lilies in nurseries, and in pics on the web.

Samurai has a wide, bright cream, streaky edge. I've seen many that have just a narrow edge, and sometimes no variegation at all, that are tagged as Samurai.

This is 'Moonlight', below. I love the bright white stems on the new growth until it's time to flower. Most web pics show it in flower, missing this feature.

I absolutely love the flowers on 'Seiryu', below.

I really like toad lillies but like Rouge, they have faded and being chomped by deer on occasion probably didn't help. Your pictures, Steve, make me want to try again, though!