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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells, Virginia Cowslip)
Spring has finally sprung when the pink buds of Mertensia virginica show themselves in late winter and early spring, evolving from being coiled up like a scorpion’s tail to opening to deep pink or blue nodding flowers in drifts of woodland* carpets. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Virginia Bluebells as Wildflower of the Year in 1989.
*In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native in DC. In DE, it is uncommon in the Piedmont and rare in the Coastal Plain. In PA , it is mostly concentrated in pockets except in the north central counties where it is absent. In VA, it is locally common through the lower elevations of the mountains and in the Piedmont.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets