Description
Mertensia –
There are about 50 species of clump forming, mound forming, or prostrate perennials in this genus. They occur from wet meadows, woodlands, and coasts in Europe, Asia, North America, and Greenland. They have hairy alternate, lance shaped to rounded leaves, sometimes with heart shaped bases, are light to dark green or grayish or bluish green. Pendent, tubular or bell shaped, 5 lobed blue flowers, with flared, funnel shaped mouths, are bourne in terminal or axillary cymes. Grow the smaller species in a gravel bed, rock garden, the larger ones in a herbaceous border or woodland garden.
Grow in moist but well drained, humus rich soil in light, dapples shade. Divide clumps carefully as new growth begins in spring.
Prone to slugs and snails, powdery mildew, rust, and leaf smut.
M. pulmonarioides – M. virginica – Virginia Bluebells – Virginia Cowslip – This clump forming perennial from the cooler parts of North America grows 18″ tall and 10-18″ wide. From erect, branching stems it carries smooth, oblong, soft, hairless, bluish green leaves, to 6″ long. In mid and late spring it bears terminal cymes of 20 or more on each stem of flared, long tubed, sky blue to purple-blue flowers, to 1″ long, opening from pink buds.
Zones 3-7
