Description
Mertensia virginica
DR P
Soil: Rich, Moist, Well-drained
Light: Part to Full Shade
Moisture: Average
Plant Height: 18 to 24 inches
Plant Width: 12 to 18 inches
Pests: None.
Landscape Value: Great for massing around trees, shrubs or in shady woodlands. Good for shady borders and rock gardens, but since plants go dormant in the summer, they are best overplanted with shallow-rooted annuals or interplanted with other shade-loving perennials.
An erect, clump-forming spring ephemeral with oval, blue- to gray-green leaves that die to the ground by mid-summer when the plant goes dormant. Loose, terminal clusters of pendulous, bell-shaped, blue flowers bloom in early spring. Bloom period is about three weeks. Flower buds are pink, and flowers emerge with a pinkish caste before turning blue. If fertilized, flowers produce wrinkled nuts in early summer. Plants have a long taproot and once established, do not like to be disturbed. Forms dense colonies and readily self-seeds under ideal growing conditions. Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, hummingbird moths, flower flies, bee flies, and long-tongued bees, like bumblebees.
Origin: Eastern bluebells are native to the eastern half of North America, but not to New England, where they are considered introduced. In the United States, they are native to as far east as the mid-Atlantic states, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
1-quart pot
Photo credits:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (photo by Alan Cressler)
Missouri Botanical Garden
