John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society’s
Wildflower Spot – April 2007
VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS, VIRGINIA
COWSLIP, ROANOKE-BELLS
Mertensia virginica
This beautiful spring
wildflower produces funnel-form pendant flowers that begin as
pink but turn blue as the flowers open. The genus is named
in honor of F.K. Mertens, a professor of botany at Bremen, and
the species honors Virginia.
Early on this lovely
flower made the trip to Europe, where it quickly became a
regular in English gardens. William Robinson, writing in
“The English Flower”: “…handsomest of all is the Virginia
cowslip. It is a charming old garden plant, and one which
unfortunately has never become common.”
These plants are spring
ephemerals, dying back by the end of June. Plant something
like turtleheads (Chelone glabra) or native ferns to take over
after the bluebells fade.
The leaves are large,
entire, and alternate which disappear in fall and winter.
Propagation is by seed or division after the flowers fade, but
do so before the leaves disappear entirely, or you won’t find
the roots.
Natural range is New
York to Michigan, and south to Alabama and Missouri. It is
a plant of Virginia’s mountain and piedmont areas, rather than
coastal regions, so it must be given a moist, shady
environment.
Written by Helen Hamilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter
of the Virginia Native Plant Society
