little sweet betsy
Trillium cuneatum
USDA zones5 to 8
SunHandles partial sun or full shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Size12 to 18 inches tall9 to 12 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, winter
- Bloom color
- Maroon to yellow to orange to reddish-green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Little sweet betsy (Trillium cuneatum) is a perennial for shade gardens, woodland settings, and rock gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes part sun to full shade and average to moist, sandy, loamy, or chalky soil. Each plant has three mottled leaves in a whorl and one maroon to dark red flower. It is a spring ephemeral, so it may go dormant by summer. It may also sulk a bit in its second year before settling in.
Pairs well with Woodland phlox, Lady fern, Aureola Japanese forest grass, and Green and gold.
Native range
Southeastern United States.