How to Transplant a Trillium Ovatum

Water the soil around the trillium well about a day before you dig it up to make the soil easier to penetrate and minimize stress to the plant and potential injury to the trillium root system.

Dig a planting hole for the trillium in a spot with shade or partial shade. If you want to improve the soil's moisture retention or fertility, work an organic soil amendment like peat moss or well-rotted compost into an area that extends at least a foot beyond the planting hole. Make the hole at least twice as wide as the trillium's anticipated root mass and deep enough to accommodate the size of the root mass you plan to capture.

Dig up the western trillium using a garden fork to loosen the soil around the circumference of a circle that extends at least 6 inches out from the trillium stem. The larger the root mass you can preserve, the better the trillium's chances for survival. The trillium's rhizomes typically are located in the top 6 to 8 inches of soil, but they can be up to 12 inches deep in rich soil.

Set the trillium's root mass in the center of the prepared hole, carefully adding or removing soil under the root mass so the trillium is planted at the same depth at which it was previously growing, with the base of the plant stem at ground level.

Fill in the space around the trillium root mass with soil you removed to dig the hole, gently firming the soil down as you add it to remove large air pockets.

Water the soil around the transplanted trillium slowly and thoroughly. Add soil to the area of the planting hole, if needed, to account for any settling that occurs. Depending on the site and rainfall, you may need to occasionally water the site keep the soil moist, though not soaking, during the summer following planting.