Spring vetchling
Lathyrus vernus · Fabaceae
A neat, bushy clump covered in small pea flowers that open red-purple and turn blue-green as they age, in early spring.
- Size
- 14 in tall, 16 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic to people and horses
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around spring vetchling
The planner designed this bed around spring vetchling when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why spring vetchling stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Spring vetchling × 8, purple
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 4, tan
- 3 Coral bells 'Firefly' × 8, red
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 6 Pieris 'Little Heath' × 1, variegated leaves
- 7 Snow crocus × 5, blue
- 8 Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' × 5, orange
Why this plant
- The only purple.
Why here
- In the middle. At 14 in it stands ahead of crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' (24 in) without hiding it.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For five of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 7 groups (86%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by blue wood aster and brown-eyed Susan, the tallest plants on the plan. Heights step up from about 12 in at the front to 3½ ft at the back.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where spring vetchling goes in a border
At 14 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A pea that does not climb, flowers with the hellebores and then makes a tidy green mound. Very long-lived, drought-tolerant once settled, and it dislikes being moved.
- Early spring colour in part shade
- Planting with hellebores and bulbs
- Dry woodland edges
What to plant with spring vetchling
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for five weeks, from mid April; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Lungwort: in flower together for five weeks, from mid April.
- Daffodil: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for five weeks.
Questions about spring vetchling
Does spring vetchling need sun or shade?
Spring vetchling grows in part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled.
What zones does spring vetchling 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 spring vetchling flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid 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.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid 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 spring vetchling be planted?
14 in (35 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 16 in (40 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 14 in (35 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many spring vetchling plants do I need?
At 14 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 9 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 9 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 28 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 spring vetchling poisonous?
Yes: mild toxicity to people and horses. The seeds are poisonous if eaten in quantity.
Is there a native plant like spring vetchling?
Spring vetchling is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woodland phlox: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same flowering time; blue, lavender or white, not purple, wants moist soil.
- Wild geranium 'Espresso': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early May to early June, pink, not purple.
- Creeping Jacob's ladder: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late April to late May, blue, not purple.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after spring vetchling?
Spring vetchling is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bugleweed: from early May to late May, 6 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does spring vetchling look like in winter?
Spring vetchling 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.
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 14 in (35 cm) tall, 16 in (40 cm) wide
- Plant
- 14 in (35 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; open bowls; purple, blue, pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Fabaceae
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.