Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Promoting environmentally sound gardening practices for over 35 years!

Mertensia virginica en masse.
Mertensia virginica en masse. Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Perennials / Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium)

Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium)

Whorl of 3 bracts of native Trillium grandiflorum (large-flowered trillium) in April.
Native Trillium grandiflorum en masse
Native Trillium grandiflorum flower
Native Trillium grandiflorum flower
Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium) at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area in May.

Note: Click on images to see enlarged photos, captions, and photo attributions.
On a mobile phone, click on the information symbol (circle with a letter ℹ︎ symbol).

This showy trillium, with flower diameters up to four inches, is a familiar spring native wildflower in the Mid-Atlantic* woodlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Plateaus. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Great White Trillium Wildflower of the Year in 1996. Perennial Colony and Close-up of Flower Height: 1⁄2–11⁄2 feet Spread: 3⁄4–1 foot Bloom Color: White turning light pink with age Characteristics Spring ephemeral, herbaceous perennial Sturdy, erect, unbranched stems, each with whorl of three ovate, glossy, medium green leaves Single, three-petaled, three-sepaled flower emerges from the leaf whorl from April to June Six-angled capsule holds seeds spread by ants Attributes Foliage dies to ground in summer, especially in dry soil (do not remove foliage until spent) Averse to transplantation; no serious pests–but slugs can be a nuisance–or diseases; deer seldom to rarely severely damage but are more likely to notice large-flowered over smaller trilliums Spreads–if undisturbed–very slowly by rhizomes to form dense colonies; takes 3 to 5 years to mature from seed to flower (do not pick flowers) Attracts insects rarely; in large colonies, leaves provide cover for small mammals Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Deep, rich, well-drained Muscari - Grape hyacinth Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Water Requirements: Moist Prefers shade of deciduous or mixed-species forest Needs regular watering; apply leaf mulch in fall *In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC, to five counties in MD, and to the mostly western counties of PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and rare in the inner Piedmont. It is not native to NoVA although it may grow where it has escaped cultivation as it does in DE where it is adventive in the rich Brandywine Valley. Use in shady borders or woodland gardens w/ ferns Hardiness: USDA Zones 4-8 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Longwood Gardens and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
 for the Mid-Atlantic

Print Version (Legal Size):
Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium)

This showy trillium, with flower diameters up to four inches, is a familiar spring native wildflower in the Mid-Atlantic* woodlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Plateaus. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Great White Trillium Wildflower of the Year in 1996.

*In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC, to five counties in MD, and to the mostly western counties of PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and rare in the inner Piedmont. It is not native to NoVA although it may grow where it has escaped cutivation as it does in DE where it is adventive in the rich Brandywine Valley.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets

Back to Top