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| Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)
Flower 3/4-1 in., plant 1-2 ft., Borage family
Also known as "Virginia Cowslip" and "Roanoke Bells," the Virginia
Bluebell was one of the first flowers that early explorers of North America
sent back to England, where it was coveted as a garden plant. Bluebells'
clusters of pink buds shade to lavender, then open to pure blue blossoms.
While bluebells are so-named because they resemble bells with long
handles, they also look a lot like Southern "belles" in tiny ball gowns with
hoop skirts! The light green, oval leaves are floppy, growing
lackadaisically from the ground.
Virginia Bluebells are found in shady, moist ground near waterways or on
moist, rocky hillsides in April.
A tip: if the "belles" you see don't have a "waistline," they're
harebells, not Virginia Bluebells. |
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