Virginia spring beauty.

At a glance

Care level

Easy

Plant type

Perennial

Light

Partial shade to full sun in early spring

Indoor light

Bright indirect

Water

Every 3 to 7 days

Mature size

6 inches

Growth rate

Slow

Hardiness

USDA 3 to 8

Bloom time

Early to mid spring

Care

Plant these in a spot that gets plenty of light before the trees leaf out. Keep the soil consistently moist during their active growing phase. Watch for the foliage to yellow and fade, which signals the plant is entering dormancy.

Watering

Keep the soil evenly moist while the plant is actively growing.

Feeding

A light application of compost in the fall is usually plenty.

Pruning

Simply remove any dead foliage once the plant has gone dormant.

Repotting

These plants prefer to stay undisturbed in the garden.

Soil

Moist, humus rich soil

Soil pH

Acidic to neutral

Temperature

-30 to 30°C

Humidity

40 to 70%

Drought tolerance

Low

Lifespan

Perennial, typically 5 to 10 years

Deer and rabbits

Moderate

Safety

People

The plant is generally considered non-toxic, but the presence of oxalates means it should not be eaten in large quantities.

Children

There are no specific safety concerns for children, though as with any plant, ingestion of raw foliage is not recommended.

Contact allergens

There are no known skin irritants associated with this plant.

Airborne allergens

The pollen is not considered a significant allergen.

Edibility

While the leaves and corms are edible, they contain oxalates and should be consumed in moderation.

How to identify it

• Five petaled white or pink flowers
• Dark pink veins on petals
• Pair of narrow grass like leaves
• Grows from a small corm

Height

0.1 to 0.2m

Spread

0.1 to 0.15m

Leaves

green, deciduous

Flowers

white, pink, 1 to 2cm

Fruit

brown, Late spring

Problems to watch for

• Slugs and SnailsCommon
• DehydrationUncommon
• Late Frost DamageUncommon
• Root RotUncommon

Growing it

Propagation

seed, division

When to plant

fall

Overwintering

The plant naturally goes dormant underground as a corm, so no special winter protection is needed.

In containers

It is not well suited for containers as it requires specific woodland soil conditions and dormancy cycles.

Plant these in drifts under deciduous trees where they can enjoy the spring sun before the shade sets in.

Grows well with

• Trillium · They share similar woodland habitat requirements and bloom times.
• Bloodroot · Both are spring ephemerals that thrive in the same woodland conditions.

Similar species

• Carolina Spring Beauty · It is a very similar species with broader leaves.

Science

Family

Montiaceae

Genus

Claytonia

Order

Caryophyllales

Class

Magnoliopsida

Native range

Eastern North America

Conservation

It is widespread and common throughout its native range and is not currently of conservation concern.

It thrives in moist, deciduous woodlands where it takes advantage of the high light levels before trees leaf out.

Value to wildlife

early nectar source

Pollinators

bees, butterflies

Uses

edible leaves, edible corms, spring groundcover

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

When does it bloom?

It blooms in early to mid spring, usually right after the snow melts.

Does it stay green all summer?

No, it is a spring ephemeral and will go dormant and disappear by early summer.

Where the name comes from

The genus name honors John Clayton, an early American botanist, while the species name refers to its discovery in Virginia.

Good to know

• The flowers often show pink veins that act as nectar guides for pollinators.
• It is also commonly known as spring beauty.
• The small, potato-like corms were historically eaten by Native Americans.
• It grows from a small, deep-seated corm that allows it to survive winter dormancy.