Dutchman Breeches

Dutchman's breeches plant for sale here is Dicentra cucullaria, a native woodland wildflower whose white, pantaloon-shaped flowers hang in a row like tiny pairs of pants on a clothesline. We ship it bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500, for shade gardens, woodland floors, native plantings and wholesale buyers.

Dutchman's Breeches Size, Zones and Sun

This is a small plant, just 6 to 12 inches tall, with finely cut, gray-green leaves that look like a fern's. It's hardy in zones 3 to 7. Part shade to full shade suits it, and it does best under deciduous trees that let spring light through. Moist, humus-rich soil keeps it happy.

Dutchman's Breeches Flowers

Each flower is white with a yellow tip, and they dangle from leafless arching stems above the foliage. They open in March and April, among the earliest woodland blooms of the year. The show is short, and by early summer the plant has gone dormant.

Dutchman's Breeches and Wildlife

Ants carry the seeds back to their nests, eat the fleshy coating and leave the seed behind, which is how colonies spread through a woodland. Deer and rabbits generally leave it alone. Our guide to Dutchman breeches as a spring wholesale plant goes further.

Where to Plant Dutchman's Breeches

Woodland edges, shaded slopes, spots beneath oaks and maples and spring-ephemeral drifts are where it belongs. Plant 6 to 8 inches apart. For companions, see our roundup of shade perennials for a woodland border.

Planting Dutchman's Breeches Bare-root

Plant these in fall if you can. Give the roots an hour in water, lay them out in a shallow hole and cover the crown with about an inch of soil. Press it down, water, and the plant will root in before winter and be ready when the ground warms in spring.

Buying Dutchman's Breeches in Bulk

At 8 inches apart each plant takes about half a square foot, so a pack of 25 covers roughly 11 square feet, 100 plants cover around 45 and 500 plants cover about 220. Packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500 fit a small shade bed or a big woodland drift.

Good to Know About Dutchman's Breeches

The foliage disappears by early summer, leaving bare ground. Mark the spot, or plant it between ferns, hostas or wild ginger that fill the space after it goes dormant. Mulch with leaf litter, as it would get in a forest, and keep the soil from drying out in spring.

Dutchman's Breeches for Woodland Gardens

For a shade garden that wakes early, Dutchman's breeches is hard to beat. Paired with trillium, bluebells and bloodroot, it carries the garden from the last frost to the first leaves.

Dutchman's Breeches Plant Sizes, Packs and Shipping

Dutchman's breeches plants ship bare-root in packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more wholesale perennials for sale.