Hepatica

Not all hepaticas are equal — discover which of the 6 main types matches your soil pH, zone, and patience level before you plant.

Hepatica is one of the first woodland wildflowers to bloom in eastern North America, sending up lavender, pink, or white flowers through leaf litter before most trees have leafed out. Yet for gardeners who want more of it, the plant can feel deliberately uncooperative: seed collected even a few days too late loses viability almost entirely, divisions from young clumps …

Hepatica produces some of the earliest blooms of the woodland garden — delicate star-shaped flowers in shades of blue, lavender, pink, and white that push through leaf litter as early as February in USDA zone 6. But hepatica companion plants are what transform a brief seasonal display into a four-season composition. Choose the right neighbors and you get seamless color …

Hepatica flowers in February, one of the earliest perennials of the year. Species guide, deep shade growing, seed propagation, and woodland garden design.