How to Grow Virginia Bluebells

Additional reporting by Rachael Liska

What Gardeners Should Know About Virginia Bluebells

Add a sprinkle of delicate blue to your garden with native Virginia bluebells. A native wildflower commonly spotted in woodlands and floodplains in the East and Midwest, they bloom in clusters from approximately mid-April through mid-May. Flowers start out pinkish-purple and deepen into blue as the season progresses. When grown over large areas, the flowers self-sow.

Gardeners interested in adding Virginia bluebells to their yard should keep in mind that the plant grows best in shade and moist, rich soil. While Virginia bluebells look beautiful in spring, the flowers are spent and the foliage is dormant by midsummer. You can add other shade-loving perennials, such as hostas, to mask the fading foliage and maintain interest in your garden.

Care and Growing Tips

Common name: Virginia bluebells
Botanical name: Mertensia virginica
Growing zones: 3 to 8
Height: 1.5 to 2 feet
Width: 1 to 1.5 feet
Light needs: Full to part shade
Attracts: Butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, moths
Grown for: Shade interest, pollinators

Benefits of Growing Virginia Bluebells

Since they’re native to North America, gardeners can use these flowers to add color to shady areas in a native plant garden. Even though the plants go dormant in summer, they’re a great inclusion for early-season color and brighten up the landscape in mid- to late spring.

Those who’ve had trouble with rabbits in the garden won’t need to worry about these! Rabbits leave them alone. Pollinators such as bumblebees and long-tongued bees appreciate the flowers in early spring, Butterflies and moths stop by, too.

Ask the Experts: Are Bluebells Always Blue?

“Year after year, we found this white bluebell blooming among the hundreds of regular bluebells in a nearby wildflower park. Is this unusual?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Joan Meyer.

Horticultural expert Melinda Myers says, “Virginia bluebells, as the name implies, are usually blue, but you may see an occasional pink or white flowered plant. These spring flowers emerge from pink buds, and most start out pinkish blue before turning sky blue. They are a favorite of hummingbirds, bumblebees, long-tongued bees, butterflies, skippers and moths. The large leaves decline after flowering, but combining them with other plants in your garden can help mask the declining foliage. Grow them in shade and moist, fertile soils for best results.”

Fun Facts About Bluebells

• The U.S. is home to about 20,000 native plant species, including bluebells. Considered a spring ephemeral because of their brief and early flowers, bluebells bloom between snowmelt and tree leaf-out.
• Bluebells have been documented at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello since 1766, when Jefferson first recorded them in his garden journal.
• Mertensia virginica is the botanical name, but bluebells commonly go by six other names, including Virginia bluebells, Virginia cowslip, Roanoke bells, eastern bluebells, Jefferson’s blue funnel flowers, and chiming bells.
• Bluebells bloom for just three weeks, supporting an array of early spring pollinators—bumblebees, butterflies, hummingbird moths, hoverflies, bee flies, and even hummingbirds.
• Growing 2 feet tall at maximum, bluebells make a striking display when planted alongside yellow daffodils and pink tulips.
• Flowers that are naturally blue, such as bluebells, are rare. Only 10% of 280,000 flowering plant species worldwide have blue blooms.

Sources

• Wisconsin Horticulture – Division of Extension, “Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica”
• Missouri Botanical Garden, “Mertensia virginica”
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, “Mertensia virginica”