Boraginaceae
Mountain bluebells
Mertensia ciliata
Also known as Streamside bluebells, Mertensia ciliata, Chiming bells, Pulmonaria ciliata
Flowering Plants · Native Plants · Wildflower · Native Plant · Blue Flowers · Woodland Garden · Shade Tolerant · Pollinator · Perennial · Mountain Plant · Spring Blooms
Mountain bluebells is a charming native wildflower that produces clusters of sky-blue tubular blooms in late spring to early summer. It prefers cool, moist conditions in part shade, making it ideal for streamside gardens, woodland edges, or shaded rock gardens. Allow the foliage to die back naturally after blooming, as it goes dormant in summer heat.
Growing conditions
The details behind the basics
- Daily light
- 5 hours
- Watering
- Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged; especially important during active growth and bloom · Every 5-7 days
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- loam
- Soil pH
- 6.2–7.2
- Temperature
- -25°F to 95°F
- Cycle
- Perennial
- Propagation
- Seed
Hardiness
USDA 4b-9b
Form & growth
Mature size and habit
- Mature height
- 10 ft – 30 ft
- Spread
- 15 ft
- Spacing
- 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Root depth
- Medium
- Flowers
- Purple
- Foliage
- Green · Medium
Ecology & origin
Where it belongs and what it brings
- Native to
- Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
- Attracts
- Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Sources: trefle, usda
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