Virginia bluebells

Mertensia virginica

Eastern North American spring ephemeral with pendant clusters of pink-budded sky-blue trumpet flowers above blue-green leaves. Whole plant disappears completely by midsummer.

Hardiness ratings

Virginia bluebells hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 3–8 −40 °C to −6.7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 3–7 −34 °C to −7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–3 −15 °C to 0 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Flowers April–May then goes fully dormant by midsummer — the classic North American spring ephemeral
  • Mark the position with a label — the disappearance is total and it is easy to dig into the dormant crowns in summer
  • Naturalises well in rich moist woodland soil
  • Pair with later-emerging perennials (hostas, ferns) to cover the gap

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Virginia bluebells against your zones

Reference

Virginia bluebells on Wikipedia