Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Nodding clusters of soft pink buds open into clear sky-blue trumpet flowers over lush, smooth foliage in early spring. A classic woodland ephemeral that carpets rich floodplain woods before going completely dormant by midsummer. Plant alongside later-emerging ferns or sedges to cover the fading foliage.
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1.5–2 ft
- Spacing
- 1–1.5 ft apart
- Light
- part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- March, April, May, June
- Bloom colors
- pink, blue, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, hummingbirds
- Landscape uses
- border
- Native states
- AL, AR, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV