Mertensia virginica - Virginia Bluebells

Incredibly Beautiful & Rare WNC Native Plants!

Experience the quiet magic of Virginia Bluebells, with gorgeous pink-blue flowers offset by gently blue-tinged foliage. Soft pink buds open to exquisite blue trumpet-shaped flowers, creating an irresistible feast for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Native to Western North Carolina, these delightful perennials are rare and hard to find.

Virginia Bluebells enjoy rich, really moist, well-draining soils in partial to deep shade. They are ideal for woodland gardens, native gardens, cottage gardens, shade gardens, and more. 

Each plant will grow to approximately 12-24"T x 12-18"W, although when planted in their preferred conditions they may slowly spread. They are cold hardy to zone 3 (-40F).

Despite their delicate appearance, they resist rabbits and happily coexist with Black Walnut trees. 

🏆Award-winning! Winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious Award of Garden Merit!
❤️RCN Staff Favorite - numerous staff members have these in their own gardens and LOVE them! These are some of the first native plants to break dormancy in spring, and are always a welcome sight. 

Plant Nerd: As spring ephemerals, they perform spectacularly in spring before forest canopies fully develop, then naturally retreat from summer's heat & deep shade from the trees above - an elegant adaptation that reflects seasonal rhythms. Combine Virginia Bluebells with Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa), Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Turtleheads (Chelone spp.), Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), and more for an extended season of pollinator-friendly shade-preferring blooms. Virginia Bluebells also play very nicely with ferns.

Mertensia virginica are in the Borage family, and are related to other blue blooming perennial flowers such as Borago (Borage), Brunnera (Siberian bugloss), Myosotis (Forget-me-not), Pulmonaria (Lungwort), and more.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other sources, Mertensia virginica are considered threatened in parts of their native range, mostly due to habitat destruction, disturbance, and poaching. We only source our plants from responsible growers. Be part of the plant conservation movement and help us save these amazing plants by finding space for them in your garden!