PlantsFlowers
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Chicago-region native. Suited to zone 6a.
Spring ephemeral bluebells
ModerateFlowersAlso Shade & Groundcovers
- Light
- Part shade–shade
- Moisture
- Medium–moist
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft
- Spacing
- 18–30 in
- Bloom or harvest
- Flowers Apr–May; dormant by summer
- How it spreads
- Slow colony
- What to buy
- Plug or division for reliable residential establishment; seed for larger restoration areas.
- When to plant
- Apr–May; late Aug–Sep, finishing about six weeks before the first frost.
In the design
Retain leaf litter; avoid deep mulch over crowns.
