Claytonia virginica Tried and True Native Selections (Virginia) Spring Beauty for the Mid-Atlantic

This small and delicate native ephemeral blooms early spring in rich, moist, open woodlands and meadows throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.* As tree canopies out and temperatures rise, its foliage fades away and will not reappear until the next year. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored Spring Beauty as Wildflower of the Year in 1990.

Corm En Masse and Close-up of

Height: ½–1 foot

Spread: ½–¾ foot

Bloom Color: White with pink veins

Characteristics

Delicate, low-growing ephemeral perennial

Narrow, dark green, grass-like foliage

Showy, small, star-like, white flowers with pink veins and anthers bloom late March to May

Ovoid fruit containing 3–6 tiny seeds

Spreads easily by multiplying corms (-like stem bases) and self-seeding

Attributes

Dormant in summer; foliage dies to the ground and does not reappear until the next spring

No serious pests or diseases; deer rarely damage

Edible corms taste similar to chestnuts but their tiny size makes the collection effort hardly worthwhile**

Attracts pollinators with early season nectar

Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for

Soil Requirements: Average, well-drained Hyacinthus species - Hyacinth

Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade, Shade nutans - Nodding Star-of-Bethlehem

Water Requirements: Moist - Star-of-Bethlehem

Plant corms 2–3” deep and 3-6” apart in fall Ficaria verna - Lesser Celandine

Use in rock, wildflower or woodland gardens with later spreading perennials, which will cover the void left when spring beauty’s foliage dies back; *In VA, it is absent in the far southwest and on the Eastern Shore. naturalize in lawns as one would spring crocuses **Do not disturb spring beauty or other native in their natural habitat. Be sure to purchase nursery-propagated plants Hardiness: USDA Zones 3–8 and not those that have been sourced from the wild.

developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and by Mary Free, Quarry Shade Garden

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