The first one commonly offered to North American gardeners about 25 years ago or so was the Japanese Toad-lily, Tricyrtis hirta. Most usually grown from seed, this species produces an upright mound of elegant, lily-like green leaves. In mid autumn little buds appear towards the ends of each stem, finally opening into small star-shaped flowers with very light mauve or pink petals that are heavily speckled with wine-red to maroon. 'Dark Beauty' is the selection pictured here.

They thrive in part-day sun or all-day partial shade so long as it's not the deep and dark shade as might be found under large evergreen or maple trees. Japanese Toad-lily prefers a rich, moist woodland type of soil but has proven to be very adapatable so long as it gets a drink or two during extended droughts.

Some gardeners with very fertile soil find that the plants grow so tall they flop over from their own weight. That's easy enough to fix by pinching back the plants in early July or so, simply cutting them back by half. This causes secondary branching and a more compact size at blooming time.

In more recent years a few other species of Toad-lily have joined the ranks, as well as numerous garden hybrids. Flowers range from pure white through solid mauve or purple shades, and even yellow. Some have striping rather than speckling, and some have so much speckling as to look almost solid dark purple or maroon. The foliage has also been gussied up, with some selections sporting attractive variegation or all gold to yellow leaves. These selections are increased by tissue culture or stem cuttings, or by division.

Taller selections of Toad-lily are wonderful as cut flowers, lasting a good week or so if picked just as the blooms begin to open. Plant height can range from 12 inches up to around 3 feet or more, depending on the particular selection or soil and moisture conditions. In short-season regions like the prairies, Toad-lilies may well prove to be hardy but may fail to bloom before killing frosts in the autumn. Some of the earlier-flowering selections may prove to be worthwile in colder regions.

Plants will spread to eventually form a clump about two feet in diameter, but they are well behaved and not especially fast growing. The tradeoff is sturdiness and longevity, not to mention a lack of problems other than potential damage from slugs or snails. Cut the dead tops back to the ground in early spring. Toad-lilies are often late to emerge so marking the spot well is a good idea so as not to accidentally disturb them.

To see a complete listing of our Toad-lily selections, just click here.