Isn't that a lovely little thing? It's a toad lily. It blooms for me every October, just as the petals of the Japanese anemones have fluttered away. There are dozens of these little purple-spotted orchidlike flowers--about an inch across--growing up stalks with handsome shiny dark-green leaves. The plant thrives in shade, with no attention except top-dressings of compost. Planted by the front walk where I can pause to enjoy it, the toad lily gives me something to look forward to every fall.
I don't know what species of Tricyrtis this is -- my mother gave me the clump years ago, and she didn't know. Probably Tricyrtis formosana or Tricyrtis hirta. But if you're interested, Richard Hawke of the Chicago Botanic Garden did an evaluation of Tricyrtis species a couple of years ago; find his report here.
Got a garden question? I recommend you call or e-mail the Plant Clinic of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, the Master Gardeners of the University of Illinois Extension or the Plant Information Service of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe .
All contents of this post are copyright Beth Botts. Feel free to link or share a brief excerpt with a link, but please do not reproduce photos or any other part of this blog without my express permission.
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