Pasque flower

Questions about pasque flower

Does pasque flower need sun or shade?

Pasque flower grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).

It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.

What zones does pasque flower grow in?

USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °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 pasque flower flower in my zone?

In zone 5 it flowers early April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.

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 pasque flower be planted?

10 in (25 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.

It grows 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.

How many pasque flower plants do I need?

At 10 in apart, set out in staggered rows:

• 17 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
• 13 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
• 55 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 three in one group.

Is pasque flower poisonous to dogs and cats?

Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten fresh, and cause burning in the mouth. The sap can blister skin.

Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.

Is there a pet-safe plant like pasque flower?

These come closest to doing what pasque flower does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:

• Bird's-foot violet: the same job in a bed and the same colour; 5 in shorter, 4 in narrower.
• Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid June to early October, red, not purple.
• Rock cress: the same size and the same flowering time; a carpet, not a drift, white or pink, not purple.

Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.

Do deer eat pasque flower?

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 pasque flower?

Pasque flower is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:

• Prairie smoke: from late April to late May, 12 in tall (a recorded partner).
• Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
• Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall.

What does pasque flower look like in winter?

Pasque flower dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.