Trout Lily
Erythronium americanum
Trout-speckled leaves and nodding yellow flowers in early April, gone by late spring. Early nectar for bees just out of winter.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
One of the earliest spring ephemerals. critical nectar for queen bumblebees emerging from winter dormancy.
Trout Lily is one of the first flowers to emerge in the spring woodland, pushing up from the forest floor before the tree canopy leafs out. The mottled leaves, brown-speckled green, like a brook trout's flank, carpet the ground in early April, followed by a single nodding yellow flower per stem. It blooms for only a few weeks, but those weeks coincide perfectly with the emergence of native bees that have just overwintered and need an early nectar source. The plant goes dormant by late spring once the canopy closes, making it a natural partner for later-leafing woodland perennials like ferns or wild ginger that fill in behind it. This is a patient plant: individual plants may take years to bloom from seed, but a colony allowed to naturalize becomes a living carpet that returns without any effort on your part.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown trout lily propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Moist
- Mature size
- 4–8 in · 4–6 in wide
- Bloom time
- Early spring
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Oklahoma
Care notes for trout lily.
Plant corms 2-3 inches deep in moist, rich, well-drained woodland soil with abundant leaf litter. Partial to full shade is essential. Allow foliage to die back naturally. Do not disturb established colonies. Mulch lightly with shredded leaves to mimic forest floor conditions.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside trout lily.
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