Quick Facts
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Height at Maturity: 18-24 Inches
Usage: Flower Gardens
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones:
Product Details
Our bare-root Virginia bluebells ship now, in packs of 25, 50, 100 or 500. These are Mertensia virginica, a woodland wildflower native across the eastern United States and into Ontario and Quebec.
Virginia Bluebells: Color and Bloom
The flower buds are pink and hang closed like small deflated balloons. They open to light blue trumpets, three-quarters to 1 inch long, in nodding clusters. A few open pink, and white ones are rare. The new leaves come up purple, then turn blue-gray green. Plants stand 18 to 24 inches high. They bloom from March to May, and each plant flowers for about 3 weeks.
A Spring Ephemeral
Virginia bluebells grow, flower and set seed in a few weeks. Each flower makes four nutlets in early summer. The plant then goes dormant through midsummer and returns the next spring. Seeds drop near the parent plant, so patches grow wider each year. Set them among later perennials that fill the space once the bluebell leaves fade.
Who Visits the Flowers
Bumblebees and other long-tongued bees work the blooms. So do skippers, butterflies, moths, flower flies and hummingbird moths. Hummingbirds visit them too.
Names and History
Linnaeus described the plant in 1753 under the name Pulmonaria virginica. Other common names include Virginia cowslip and Roanoke bells. The Royal Horticultural Society gave it its Award of Garden Merit. The flowers are edible.
Good to Know About Virginia Bluebells
Plant them in part shade to deep shade, in rich, moist, well-drained soil. They are fine near black walnut roots. Rabbits leave them alone.
Ordering Virginia Bluebells in Bulk
Plants ship now. Volume pricing available on all four pack sizes. Our guide to what makes Virginia bluebells stand out covers the plant in more detail, and the woodland border guide to shade perennials covers what to plant with it. You can also browse more perennials for sale.