Mertensia paniculata
| Mertensia paniculata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Mertensia paniculata
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1][2]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. Protect from direct sunlight[2]. 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[2].
Cultivation: Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil with some shade[1][3]. Prefers a deep moist but well-drained humus-rich soil in sun or semi-shade[2].
If the plant is cut down after flowering, it will normally produce another flush of flowers[4].
A very ornamental plant[4], it grows well in open woodland[2].
Range: Western N. America - Hudson Bay to Alaska, south to Michigan, Nebraska, Idaho and Washington.
Habitat: Woods, moist meadows, damp thickets, wet cliffs, riverbanks, dry slopes and burn areas from the foothills to high elevations in the mountains[5][6].
Edibility: Flowers - raw[6].
Leaves - raw or cooked[6]. The leaves are rather hairy and are not so nice when eaten raw[6].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.