Mesmerizing Mertensia
The Native Spring Ephemeral That Everyone Should Know About
This week, we’re enthusiastically promoting our crop of Mertensia virginica, which, as you read this, is slowly peaking its pink-and-periwinkle blooms above its velvety blue-green foliage. If you’ve been sleeping on this lovely little early spring-blooming perennial, now’s the time to familiarize yourself with it.
Arguably (and opinionatedly) one of the most delightful spring ephemerals to grace North American forests and meadows, Mertensia virginica thrives in moist, part shade environments, lovely for planting around trees or the edges of shade or woodland gardens. This delicate groundcover is known commonly as Virginia bluebell for its Appalachian locale as well as its drooping clusters of flowers that begin in March as deflated, puckered-looking, magenta balloons and open to reveal light blue, bell-shaped inflorescences. Once established in their territory, Virginia Bluebells tend to form tightly knit colonies spread by seed, which often sets in early to midsummer. Mertensia virginica is also capable of slowly spreading by its root system, which must occur within the growing season in order to produce flowers the following year.
It sounds like it’s a fairly easy, hardy plant to try to grow and propagate, right? WRONG! Notoriously difficult to establish in the horticulture trade, this plant tends to be delicate and prefers natural processes in its reproductive cycle – however, it is not impossible to do, as evidenced by the appearance of the ethereal flowers in their containers here at the Nursery.
But why is it so hard to establish this prized native perennial? Well, besides not typically responding well to disturbance, it relies specifically on the pollination techniques of our endemic bee populations in order to fulfill its life cycle. This symbiosis benefits the Mertensia virginica colony in that the bees promote seed production, as well as early-rising bees that are hungry and eager for nectar sources before much else is available. The mutualistic relationship is specific to the various Bumblebee species, Bombus spp., whose large and fluffy bodies are necessary for squeezing into the floral tubes to collect nectar. If that isn’t an option, or a bee is particularly hungry, they may also use their mandibles to create a slit in the outer corolla of a not-quite-ready flower to access its prize. Unfortunately, due to an increase in pesticides and population decline over the last several decades, our native Bumblebee communities are now considered threatened and on the verge of being endangered. By planting crucial, native nectar sources such as those provided by Mertensia virginica, we are helping to ensure the longevity of critical fauna. There has been evidence of butterflies, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths, and other long-tongued bees visiting these plants during their bloom period, which typically lasts anywhere between three and four weeks. Once the plants set seed in midsummer, they almost immediately go dormant and die back to the ground, often confusing bluebell-newbies until the following season when they re-emerge as dark purple foliage before transitioning to its velvety blue-green. It probably also helps to mention that Virginia bluebells tend to be deer resistant, perfect for helping to create an ornamental understory in a forest canopy where other things may be grazed easily.
While Virginia bluebells aren’t thought to have important medicinal properties today, traditionally First Nations people utilized the roots of the plant for respiratory ailments such as tuberculosis or whooping cough, and has also been used in folk medicine for the treatment of nonspecific malaise. Believe it or not, some foragers also utilize Mertensia virginica as an early-season edible, harvesting the aerial parts and lightly steaming or cooking the stems, leaves and flowers, which provide a bitter sensation to the palette, although it is generally considered less bitter than garlic mustard or dandelion greens. However, due to the difficulty this plant has in establishing itself as well as its limited distribution in its natural habitat, it is recommended that foraging only be pursued in a sustainable and mindful manner.
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Witcher, Sarah. “Native Plant Profile: Virginia Bluebell.” Natural Resources News. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, March 20, 2023. https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2023/03/20/native-plant-profile-virginia-bluebell/.
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