Somerset County

Mertensia virginica  

Plant of the Week... 

...is commonly known as Virginia Bluebells, a native herbaceous perennial that thrives in moist organic rich soils in the shade.  It is a spring ephemeral perennial that emerges in early in the spring with deep purple foliage that quickly turns green. The term ephemerals means that they emerge in the early spring, grow quickly, bloom quickly, create their seeds to scatter, then die back to go dormant in the early summer.  The plants grow in a clump, 1 ½ - 2 feet tall and about 1-1 ½ feet wide and are cold tolerant from USDA zones 3-8.   Their oval 2-8-inch-long foliage is a lovely blue green with prominent veins and a smooth edge.   The leaves start at the base with a short petiole but as the leaves grow alternately upwards, they change to sessile or clasp the stem without a petiole.  The arching, mostly hollow stems seem succulent, but are actually very fragile. In late March to early May, Virginia Bluebells begin to open at the tips of each stem in clusters with soft pink buds that quickly open to a bright sky blue.  The beautiful, slightly fragrant, bell-shaped, arching flowers are created with 5 fused petals that form a tube, complete with 5 white stamens and a slender white pistil. They can bloom for up to 3 weeks, filling the woodlands with color.  Their size and shape welcome many pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, flower flies (syrphids), bee flies, skippers, moths, native bumblebees and long-tongued bees. After the flowers have been pollinated, the sky-blue color fades to a soft pink and the bell shape shrinks like an empty balloon.  While most of the flowers will be blue, there are always a few pure white flowering Bluebells and even some pink ones.   Virginia Bluebells are difficult to propagate but each flower produces 4 seeds that can begin to create a lovely sea of flowering plants that naturalize in the moist shady woodlands.  Each seed produces a strong tap root so, if needed, they should be transplanted very early or just let grow where they start.  Because the plants die back in early summer, other shade loving plants should be planted around and behind the Bluebells to fill in the blank spaces like native ferns, fringed Bleeding Hearts, Foamflowers, Coralbells, Solomons seal, pink or white turtlehead or woodland asters. There are no serious diseases or insect pests, and plants are tolerant of rabbit browsing and can grow under the shade of Black Walnut trees. 

Ginny Rosenkranz

Extension Advisory Committee