Close your eyes and throw a rock and you'll hit at least a dozen trilliums.
TRAVERSE CITY -- From late April to early June when you walk the forests of Northern Michigan you will inevitably come across a familiar and redundant sight: Trillium grandiflorum (the great white trillium). There is no doubt that Trillium are a welcome spring sight and that, in my opinion, is what has earned them such grandeur.
For gardeners, spring is the most refreshing sight of the year and the Trillium is the trumpeting horn that gets the summer games started. In other words, it's hard not to like the first flowers of spring.
Wikipedia lists several definitions for what a weed is. One says this about it: The term is often used to describe native or nonnative plants that grow and reproduce aggressively. If you've ever seen Trillium in the wild it fits the bill. However, weeds are also described as unwanted plants, and when most nurseries can still get $5 to &7 a piece for them its hard to say they aren't desired.
So while I still feel that they get way too much credit -- the Trillium will still be a welcome spring sight in my garden.
What do you think?
