Small bluebells
Mertensia longiflora
Family: Boraginaceae
What it is like
Mertensia longiflora is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.4
Where it is found
Open or lightly shaded places in plains and foothills, often with sagebrush or ponderosa pine, occasionally to 1500 metres.
Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Flowers - raw. Leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves are rather hairy and are not so nice when eaten raw.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil with some shade.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. Protect from direct sunlight. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division, with care, in early spring or autumn.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist