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Key characteristics

Family: Melanthiaceae
Height: 12 to 18 inches
Width: 12 inches
Flower color: Initially deep maroon or reddish-purple, fading to lighter pink or white with age
Foliage color: Dark green, slightly glossy
Bloom time: Late spring to early summer
Light: Partial to full shade
Water: Moist, well-draining soil
Maintenance: Low maintenance
Growing zone: USDA zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: Attracts bees and other pollinators; provides habitat for small mammals and birds

Perennials

Trillium kurabayashii

Giant Purple Trillium

Trillium kurabayashii is a striking perennial plant native to the Pacific Northwest, prized for its elegant appearance and delicate beauty. Growing from a rhizomatous root system, it produces a single, upright stem topped with a whorl of three large, dark green, slightly glossy leaves. Its most striking feature is the deep maroon or reddish-purple flower, which emerges from the center of the leaf whorl and forms a star-like shape with three petals and three sepals.

Light

Partial to full shade

Water

Moist, well-draining soil

Bloom time

Late spring to early summer

Find this plant

Works well in

Borders
Shade Gardens
Woodland Gardens
Pollinator Gardens
Bird Gardens

Companion plants

Ferns · Lungworts · Wild ginger · Hellebores · Japanese forest grass · Astilbes

Design tip

Summer flowers carry the middle of the season, so place it where the bed needs color once spring bulbs fade. Keep it out of hot afternoon sun and layer it with woodland companions for a full, settled look.