Erythronium
Dog's tooth violet, Adder's tongue, Trout lily, Fawn lily
- Height × spread
- 0.15m – 0.3m × 0.2m – 0.3m
- Position
- Tolerates full sun, likes part shade, likes light shade
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
Gentle, often modest plants that charm when in flower. There are around 20 species of these. The majority of them are used in gardens and there are a number of decorative cultivars available, the most popular of which is 'Pagoda'. Many of them come from the USA but there are European and Asian forms as well. They appear in spring and early summer and then become dormant. Both the flowers and the foliage are attractive. The leaves are fleshy and long, often tapering. They are coloured green or may be mottled with mahogany blotches and spots. The flowers are held on sturdy stems and peer downwards, to decorative effect. Forms are available with white, mauve, pink, purple and yellow flowers. The European Erythronium denis-cans is of modest height with particularly beautiful foliage. Popular Erythronium revolutum is a much heartier plant. These all enjoy rich soil and partially or wholly shaded positions. They are vulnerable to slugs and snails.
- Flower colour
- Mauve, Pink, Purple, White, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Brown, Green, Purple, Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, some varieties
- Shape
- Cone, Dome
- Height
- 0.15m – 0.3m
- Spread
- 0.2m – 0.3m
- Season of interest
- Spring
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Shady court, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- Tolerates full sun, likes part shade, likes light shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, most are hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover, Rabbit resistant
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Feed & mulch some rose varieties differently
To keep roses healthy and produce more flowers, feed during the growing season before and after flowering. Roses in containers should be fed more often than those planted in the ground, every two weeks from mid spring to late summer. Adding a mulch around the base of a rose will trap moisture and enrich the soil as it biodegrades.
Outdoors
Water some varieties differently
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for water. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for watering guidance.
Planting
Divide after flowering
Clumps that have become congested can be lifted, divided and replanted with some space between the bulbs, corms, or rhizomes so that they can further develop, producing new foliage clumps in the future.
Found in
More Erythronium
Erythronium 'Minnehaha'
Dogs tooth violet, Adder's tongue, Trout lily
Erythronium 'Pagoda'
Dogs tooth violet, Adder's tongue, Trout lily
Erythronium 'Susannah'
Dogs tooth violet, Adder's tongue, Trout lily
Erythronium californicum 'White Beauty'
Fawn lily, Californian fawn lily
Erythronium dens-canis
Dogs tooth violet, Asian dog tooth violet, Short trout lily
Erythronium dens-canis
Dogs tooth violet, Asian dog tooth violet, Short trout lily
Erythronium dens-canis 'Pink Perfection'
Dogs tooth violet, Asian dog tooth violet, Short trout lily
Erythronium dens-canis 'Purple King'
Dogs tooth violet, Asian dog tooth violet, Short trout lily