Liverleaf
Hepatica americana · Ranunculaceae
One of the first woodland wildflowers: small blue, pink or white flowers on hairy stems in early spring, above leathery, three-lobed leaves that last the winter.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 8 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Late March to late April
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around liverleaf
The planner designed this bed around liverleaf when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) naturalistic planting in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why liverleaf stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Liverleaf × 8, blue
- 2 Lingonberry × 8, pink
- 3 Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' × 3, pink
- 4 Tall astilbe 'Superba' × 3, purple
- 5 White bleeding heart × 1, white
- 6 Bowles' golden grass × 10, chartreuse leaves
- 7 Snowdrop × 10, white
- 8 Winter cyclamen × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only open bowls. The others are bells, spires and plumes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only blue.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 6 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 34% of the edge.
- 8 plants in 2 runs (5 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late March to late April.
- Fills a gap. For four of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a naturalistic planting: low grasses and groundcovers, the matrix, make up 49% of the planted ground. The back corners are held by turtlehead 'Hot Lips' and tall astilbe 'Superba', the tallest plants on the plan. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 45% of the visual weight and the right half 55%.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 5 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where liverleaf goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Tiny and early, so plant it where you will see it: at the edge of a path or on a bank at eye level, with other small woodlanders.
- Early spring in a woodland garden
- Native shade planting
- Close-up detail beside a path
What to plant with liverleaf
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; tall enough (20 in) to stand behind it.
- Wild ginger: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- White trillium: in flower together for two weeks, from mid April; tall enough (16 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about liverleaf
Does liverleaf need sun or shade?
Liverleaf grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does liverleaf grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does liverleaf flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late March to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 5 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 6 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Mid March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Early March to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should liverleaf be planted?
6 in (15 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 in (20 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many liverleaf plants do I need?
At 6 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 48 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 21 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 153 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is liverleaf poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat liverleaf?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after liverleaf?
Liverleaf is over by late April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- White trillium: from mid April to mid May, 16 in tall (a recorded partner).
- Bugleweed: from early May to late May, 6 in tall.
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall.
What does liverleaf look like in winter?
Liverleaf holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is liverleaf good for bees and butterflies?
Liverleaf is visited by bees.
It is native to the United States and Canada.
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Native plants for shade
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Plants with blue flowers
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 8 in (20 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 in (15 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late March to late April; open bowls; blue, white, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
- Comes from
- Central and Eastern Canada and the Eastern United States
- Attracts
- Bees
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.