Mertensia virginica aka Virginia Bluebell

Mertensia virginica is also known as Virginia bluebells. This woodland plant is a perennial: it returns each spring. It forms upright clumps and belongs to the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is native to eastern Canada. Its range also spans the central and eastern United States. It grows in moist woods, floodplain forests, and thickets. Garden plants reach 1–2 feet [0.30–0.61 metres] tall. They spread about 1–1.5 feet [0.30–0.46 metres]. RHS gives a little wider upper spread: 1.6 feet [0.50 metres].

New leaves emerge purple, then turn green as they grow. Full-grown leaves have a blue-green or grey-green cast. They are smooth and oval to oblong, with clear veins. Their edges have no teeth. They grow in turn on either side of the stems. Lower leaves have stalks; upper leaves have none. Leaves at the base grow larger than those above. The smooth stems are pale green. They may be purple near the base. They are frail and almost hollow, and they may branch. Leaves turn yellow and die back by midsummer. The plant then lies dormant, in a state of rest.

Pink buds open into hanging flowers with a light scent. The blooms start pinkish, then turn blue. Each flower has five petals joined into a bell or trumpet shape. Loose groups of flowers grow at the tips of arching stems. Bloom lasts about three weeks. It falls from March to May, based on location. Missouri Botanical Garden gives a bloom season of March to April. Bees and moths visit the flowers. So do butterflies and hummingbirds. Each flower that receives pollen forms fruit in early summer. This four-part fruit is called a schizocarp. It holds four dark brown nutlets, each with a wrinkled surface.

Grow this plant in part shade or deeper shade. It likes moist soil rich in humus that drains well. RHS lists sand, loam, clay, and chalk as suitable soils. It also lists acid, neutral, and alkaline soil conditions. Missouri Botanical Garden gives USDA zones 3–8. RHS rates it H4. Plants can grow from their own seeds and form colonies. They can be hard to propagate, or grow into new plants. Root cuttings offer one way to do this.

Plant groups beneath trees or shrubs, or in woodland borders. Ferns and hostas can fill gaps once the leaves die back. Slugs and snails may cause harm. Serious disease is rare. Missouri Botanical Garden also lists resistance to rabbits and black walnut. NC State records Indigenous uses of this plant to treat coughs and tuberculosis. It also records the use of roots against poisons. These past uses do not prove that such treatment is safe. Nor do they prove that it works.