Hello, friends of RTG! We’re moving into June, and I wanted to update you on upcoming markets and new resources on the website. Next Market(s) Our next scheduled market is Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 9am - 2pm, at Montuori Fleamarket at 186 Massachusetts Ave. Some of the plants we plan to have available there include: Yarrow (multi-hued cultivar) - Achillea millefolium - $5/plug Wild bergamot/bee-balm - Monarda fistulosa - $5 per plug; 10 for a quart Spotted bee-balm - Monarda punctata - $5/plug Swamp/rose milkweed - Asclepias incarnata - $5/plug Broad-leaved mountain mint - Pycnanthemum muticum - $5/plug We also have starts of tomatoes (slicing, sauce, and cherry varieties), peppers (both hot and bell), and herbs.

We changed our site description, so it’s official – we’re now open for business! “When can I visit?” As we don’t have a storefront, currently we are selling plants in two ways: 1) at markets and events, and 2) by order for pickup. “What’s your next event?” We are planning to attend these two events: Framingham Spring Fest, May 4, 2024, at Downtown Common, 2 Park Street, Framingham, MA, 12pm-4pm. (Facebook event) Montuori Flea Market, May 11, 2024, 186 Mass Ave in Lunenburg, MA.

The big news is that we’ll be at two events coming up in April and May. The first is this weekend: Fitchburg Earth Day, April 21, 2024, from 12pm to 3pm at Riverfront Park in Fitchburg, MA. We’ll be there as part of Grow Native Massachusetts’ “pop-up market.” Come plant some seeds of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and take them home with you! We’ll also have some select native and garden herbs to sell, but it’s still too early for most of our stock.

Spring is fast approaching, and we have been busy here at Red Trillium Gardens! Did you notice our new look? RaigeMage wrapped up our logo and banner design last week, and this week I’ve finally been able to implement it! (Being a former web developer helps!) My guidance to him was “Art Deco trillium,” and I think he’s done a bang-up job of capturing that. If you see any infelicities with the site associated with those changes, do let me know!

Next up on our list of planted species alphabetically is Ageratina altissima, or white snakeroot. … I feel a bit intimidated tackling this one, as it’s the first member of the Asteraceae family that I’ve written about. Asteraceae is an enormous and complex family – but we’ll get to that. By the Numbers Species: Ageratina altissima (formerly Eupatorium rugosum) Common name(s): white snakeroot, richweed, white sanicle Family: Asteraceae Seed source(s):

We now have socials! If you haven’t already, please give us a like/follow on Facebook or Instagram. We also now have an email newsletter! It sends on Tues, Thurs, and Sat evenings if there’s a new blog post to show. Right now we’re averaging about 1 email a week. We have hired RaigeMage to make a more professional logo and header for us. I’m excited by what I’ve seen so far, and I’m excited to see the final result!

“Native” has become a buzzword in the world of botany and horticulture, and I guess I’m contributing to it! Suddenly a bunch of people who didn’t care where their plants came from are ready to lionize one group of plants and villainize another. But what does “native” actually mean? This is a question that Mark Richardson and Dan Jaffe attempt to answer at the beginning of Native Plants for New England Gardens:

One of the things we’re sowing right now is Agalinis tenuifolia, a tiny-but-mighty late summer flower. What makes this one unique is the fact that it’s hemiparasitic, meaning it’s (partially) a PLANT VAMPIRE. Like Bunnicula. But pinker. And only a part-timer. Agalinis tenuifolia, a small pink and red-spotted flower with petals fused into a tube and slender, spear-like leaves. I found this one on a path leading between a campsite and the beach.

Want a sneak peek at what we’re growing for sale in 2024? See below! Note that there’s no guarantee we will have these exact plants. Gardening, and nature, follow their own rules, and we’re still learning to grow many of these. (And let’s be real, I’ll probably buy more seeds before spring!) Last updated: May 21, 2024 Native Plants Purchased Seeds These were all purchased from either Wild Seed Project or Prairie Moon Nursery (where we purchase only New England natives).

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – when trilliums are in bloom! Since I can’t get out in the woods much right now, instead have some completely useless facts about red trilliums. Red trillium (Trillium erectum), like all trilliums, is a monocot, meaning it arises from a seed with a single cotyledon or seed leaf. Most plants are dicots, which have seeds with two cotyledons, so this makes trilliums a little bit special.