Mertensia Species, Gray Oysterleaf, Oyster Plant

Mertensiamaritima

Genus
Mertensia (mer-TEN-see-uh)
Species
maritima (muh-RIT-tim-muh)
Synonym
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Foliage
Grown for foliage
Herbaceous
Smooth
Height
under 6 in. (15 cm)
Spacing
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 2a: to -45.5 °C (-50 °F)
USDA Zone 2b: to -42.7 °C (-45 °F)
USDA Zone 3a: to -39.9 °C (-40 °F)
USDA Zone 3b: to -37.2 °C (-35 °F)
USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F)
USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F)
USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F)
USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
Bloom Color
Pink
Light Blue
Dark Blue
Bloom Time
Mid Summer
Other Details
Category
Perennials
Water Requirements
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Foliage Color
Blue-Green
Where to Grow
Bloom Characteristics
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
Patent Information
Non-patented
Propagation Methods
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
Seed Collecting
Bag seedheads to capture ripening seed
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Birmingham, Alabama

Richmond, California

Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

2
positives
0
neutral
0
negative
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J
Toronto, ON (Zone 6a) | October 2018 | positive

Seeds take about one month to germinate. Keep seedlings away from bugs, snails and slugs! It is easy to propagate from offsets or small...Read More

T
T
Birmingham, AL (Zone 8a) | July 2017 | positive

Best observed germination rates when seeds are soaked overnight, then kept in refrigerated, barely moist sand. Seedlings are highly susce...Read More

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