I’ve been in love with trillium since I first spotted this plant growing on the side of trails here in the Pacific Northwest. Just as the weather starts to hint at Spring, these beautiful blossoms are some of the first to appear. This beautiful plant is the inspiration of the Trillium painting in my Tending Collection.

When you look at trillium, its name makes sense. This plant has three leaves, three sepals, and three petals. Sometimes I notice three spiral-shaped stigmas in the center, appearing almost like the Celtic Triskel.

Over the course of a few weeks, the trillium bloom will shift colors. The petals flow from bright white to pale pink to a vibrant magenta-purple color. This shifting color prompts me to visit the patches of trillium in my yard daily to see where they are in their color cycle.

Trillium is on the list of at-risk herbs at United Plant Savers. While these flowers are gorgeous, they should not be picked. The rhizome will not continue to survive and the plant will not be able to reproduce.  I sometimes see some plants that have deer nibbles on them. Thankfully the deer here seem to like other plants more.

According to United Plant Savers, another threat to these beautiful plants is a loss of where they grow best – in wooded areas. 

Lessons from Trillium

By their nature, Trillium teach us to not be in a rush. While I’ve found varying information on rate of germination, the general average is two years for a seed to rise above ground. Additionally, it takes a staggering seven years for the plant to bloom. When I look at the plants that are blooming in my yard with this in mind, I’m in even more awe.  How lucky I am, to be witnessing this event.

Trillium reminds me that sometimes, beautiful developments in our lives take time.  We might be doing work underground, or we might be trying to find our way through the dark for an extended time before we see the light of our efforts.  Even when we feel the warmth and can see our own growth, there are times when it does feel like we need to continue to develop skills, be in daily practice, continually…and then finally, the blossom appears. 

We live in a society where we are valued by our level of productivity and not by the skills we cultivate with care. I notice in myself the need to rush towards “accomplishment,” even when there is a part of me that really wants to languish in the learning, to dwell in a place of development, to hone in on a craft and perfect it. 

So when I go to visit my Trillium friends, I admire their defiance against the “harder faster better” culture and to go at their own pace. They aren’t “late-bloomers” or “slow-movers” – they just are themselves, beautifully welcoming spring in a rotating chorus of blooms.

If you love Trillium as much as I do, you might be interested in my Trillium painting digital art print here. 10% of profits go to the United Plant Savers foundation.