Claytonia virginica

Common Names

Spring Beauty, Virginia Spring Beauty, Eastern Spring Beauty, Narrow-Leaved Spring Beauty, Fairy Spud, Grass Flower, Good Morning Spring

Summary

Claytonia virginica, commonly called Virginia springbeauty or Spring Beauty, is a tuberous geophyte in the Montiaceae family and a spring ephemeral native to eastern North America, it grows from underground globose tubers, forms a low clump with slender grasslike leaves, and reaches about 3 to 12 inches tall, its flowers are five petals white to pink with pink veining arranged in a loose raceme, and it blooms in early spring, typically disappearing by summer, it favors moist humus rich or fertile, well drained soils with partial shade to sun, is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9, it propagates by seeds and offsets from tubers, and corms can be planted about 3 inches deep and 3 inches apart in fall, edible tubers and compact growth make it suitable as a woodland or wildflower groundcover, it naturalizes easily in woodland gardens and provides nectar and pollen for pollinators such as bees

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3-12 inches

Spread

6-9 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4a-8b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade; will tolerate full sun.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained loamy soil rich in organic matter

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils that are moist to moderately moist (mesic), loamy or organic-rich and not waterlogged.

Soil pH

6.1-7.5

Bloom Color

White to pink (rose), often with pink or red veins or stripes; color ranges from white to pink, mauve, or crimson

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Dark green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, Attracts flies, Attracts butterflies