Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
[mer-TEN-see-ah ver-JIN-ih-kah]

Deciduous Perennial Clumping in the Boraginaceae Family
Note: Spring ephemerals have evolved take advantage of sunlight which penetrates deciduous forests before the trees fully leaf out and then shut down for the year by the end of spring to rest until the next year. When buying them in summer you typically won't see anything above the ground until the next April!
A beloved native spring ephemeral -- clusters of nodding, pink-to-blue bells for the shaded woodland garden.
Virginia Bluebells is a native woodland spring ephemeral that forms compact clumps of soft, grayish-green foliage topped with nodding clusters of trumpet-shaped flowers that open pink and mature to clear blue. It blooms for about three weeks in April and May, then goes dormant by midsummer -- best paired with later-emerging shade perennials that will fill in once it disappears.

Pros

  • One of Illinois' most attractive native shade-loving plants
  • Award of Garden Merit 

Cons

  • As a spring ephemeral, they die back by summer, their rhizomes lurking beneath the ground until next spring
  • Like most ephemerals, they are hard to buy after May... and at that point you may get what looks like an empty pot
  • Virginia Bluebells do not perform well as cut flowers — enjoy them outside!
Why Like A fairly common native wildflower found in most Illinois counties, especially in floodplain and bottomland woods along rivers and streams, where it can form large colonies. Its early, abundant nectar is an important spring resource for long-tongued bees, butterflies, and sphinx moths, including the hummingbird moth.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 24 inches tall. 18 - 24 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Full Shade - Partial Shade
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet
Zones 3a - 9b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Bees, Attracts Beneficial Insects, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Filler, Full Shade, Good for Beginners, Good for Mass Planting, Groundcover, Illinois Native, Low Maintenance, Medium, Most Popular, Native to North America, Naturalizing, Partial Shade, Perennial, Plant of Merit, Pond, Shade Tolerant, Showy Flowers, Spring Ephemeral, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period April - May
Flower Color Blues & pink
Animals That Use It

Nectar:
 

Most Popular Plants
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Jacob's Ladder, Foamflower, Wild Ginger, Solomon's Seal, Trillium, Bloodroot, Mayapple, Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Sweet Woodruff, Ostrich or Christmas Fern. Looks good with Daffodils.

Photos of This with...

NAMID Early Yellow Bidens, Marsh Marigold, Pennsylvania Sedge, Eastern Redbud, Fritillary, Wild Geranium, Little Suzie Witch Hazel, Ostrich Fern, Poeticus Daffodil, Lemon Drops Triandrus Daffodil, Foxglove Beard Tongue, Emerald Blue Phlox, Great Solomon's Seal, White Hardy Primrose, Wood Lily, Purissima Tulip, Viburnum - American Cranberrybush,
 
Want More photos of this plant? Try Google Image Search!
 


Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/13 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 04/13 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!