The Markoff family home is one of my favorite places to visit in spring -- what a delight to find native plants in bloom under trees rather than the typical landscape of lawn.
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) is a native spring ephemeral plant with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers. In early summer, each fertilized flower produces four seeds and the plant goes dormant until spring. Butterflies and bumblebees pollinate the flowers. It will naturalize when planted in a shady woodland.
