Description
As the common name says this is indeed a beauty of the springtime! Flowering before the trees are leafing out, on the same time with Hepatica americana, the pink or white flowers with pink veins that are glistening in the spring sun – a treat after the long winter months! After setting seeds, it retreats in the soil for the rest of the season. Virginia spring beauty is common in southern and south-central Ontario and Native Americans employed the corms in traditional medicine and also as food – actually the whole plant can be used for consumption.
Harvesting is very tedious because the capsules mature gradually.
Germination: best with fresh seeds or stored moist and sown throughout the season until late fall (warm/cold cycle for germination).
When sown in pots, they should be grown in the same pot for 2 years. The seedlings have a very short growing season; just like the mature plants, they grow for about 2-3 months and then will go dormant (keep on the dry side afterwards). You can plant the 2 years old small corms in the ground after they go dormant (June).
The easy method is to sow the seeds directly in the ground, preferably close to a deciduous tree/large shrub/perennial plant in a location to simulate the conditions from its natural habitat (light in early spring, then shade/dry for the rest period). Water the area during dry spells in the summer.
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