Michigan Gardener

SIGN UP to stay in touch!
We will send you occasional e-mails with gardening tips and information!


Digital Editions

Click on the cover to read now!

  • Home
  • Departments
    • Ask MG
    • Books
    • Clippings
    • Garden Snapshots
    • MG in the News
    • Janet’s Journal
    • Plant Focus
    • Profile
    • Raising Roses
    • Thyme for Herbs
    • Tools and Techniques
    • Tree Tips
  • Garden Event Calendar
  • Resources
    • Alternatives to Impatiens
    • Garden Help
    • Soil and Mulch Calculator
    • Public Gardens
  • Web Extras
  • About
    • About Us
    • Editorial Content
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

PLEASE NOTE: In the autumn of 1995, we hatched the idea for a free, local gardening publication. The following spring, we published the first issue of Michigan Gardener magazine. Advertisers, readers, and distribution sites embraced our vision. Thus began an exciting journey of helping our local gardening community grow and prosper.
After 27 years, nearly 200 issues published, and millions of copies printed, we have decided it is time to end the publication of our Print Magazine and E-Newsletter.

Archive for the Pulsatilla vulgaris tag

Plant Focus: Pasque Flower

March 31, 2020   •   2 Comments

Photo: Wayside Gardens

The spring days are growing longer, the birds are quickly emptying the feeders, and the flowers have begun to emerge. Bulbs like crocus and daffodils are in bloom, but in time, only the old, tattered foliage will remain. Some of the woodland wildflowers, like trillium and bluebells, are also in color, but they too will quickly disappear. Unlike so many early bloomers, pasque flower, will perform well in the spring and continue to be showy well into the summer. 

Botanically referred to as Pulsatilla vulgaris, pasque flower sends up purple, reddish, pink or white 2-1/2 inch flowers in April and May. These flowers have 6 large petals (actually sepals) and a bright yellow center. After flowering begins, the spring leaves emerge and are equally showy. These leaves glisten with silky hairs that are exceptionally ornamental.

Photo: K. van Bourgondien

The performance has just begun, for when the spring flowers finish blooming, the seed pods form. These beautiful, silky, puff balls last well into the summer when all of the flowers have passed. The beautiful spring blossoms and clusters of seed pods make this an outstanding perennial for the front of the border or rock garden. Pasque flower grows 10 inches tall and 10 inches wide, and in our climate, it thrives in both full or partial sun. The plant will last for several years in most gardens, but performs best in a well-drained soil. Rarely does it suffer from insect or disease problems.

Pasque flower is somewhat difficult to find, but is well worth the effort. Young plants offered at garden centers quickly mature to showy clumps of vibrant flowers and striking foliage. ‘Rubra’ is the red form and the species is the purple form (just Pulsatilla vulgaris). These varieties are the easiest to locate, but I especially like the pink form, which, unfortunately, is rarely available. However, a more common German variety called ‘Papageno’ is a wonderful mixture which contains all colors, including the elusive pink.

Take advantage of the many features of this very underused perennial. Few spring-blooming perennials rival the extended display that pasque flower can provide. A tidy habit, wonderful flowers, and beautiful foliage are just some of the traits that make pasque flower a worthwhile addition to your garden. 

Pasque flower

Botanical name: Pulsatilla vulgaris
Plant type: Perennial
Plant size: 10 inches wide and tall
Flower colors: Purple (most common), red, pink, or white
Flower size: 2-1/2 inches
Bloom period: April and May
Leaf colors: Silky green
Leaf size: Up to 6 inches long
Light: Full to partial sun
Soil: Prefers well-drained soil
Uses: Front of the perennial border or in the rock garden
Remarks: Leaves appear after the flowers. Silky hairs on the leaves make them glisten. Puffy seed heads form after the flower blooms are finished and are as attractive as the flowers.

George Papadelis is the owner of Telly’s Greenhouse in Troy and Shelby Township, MI.

Read more: Growing pasque flower from seed

Filed Under: Plant Focus Tagged With: pasque flower, perennial, Pulsatilla vulgaris

Growing pasque flower from seed

January 16, 2020   •   2 Comments

I picked and planted seeds in a pot from a pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) this summer. They are growing and are about 3 inches tall now. How do I keep them alive over the winter. Do I plant them in the garden or keep them in the pot in the house?

Michigan is well into fall now and winter is right around the corner. That means your pasque flower seedlings won’t have enough time to establish themselves in the garden soil before a hard freeze. It would be best to maintain this as a houseplant through the winter. In his book Herbaceous Perennial Plants, Allan Armitage recommends that propagation by fresh seed is the best. Pasque flower seeds go dormant soon after maturity. This means the seed you picked could have been directly planted in the garden, giving it time to establish a viable root system to carry it through the winter. Pasque flower, in general, does not transplant well. Established plants can be carefully divided, but there are no guarantees.

So enjoy your pasque flower this winter as a houseplant. You can gather seed and continue the chain of propagation with new seedlings that can mature and produce seed in time for next spring when you can directly sow them in frost-free soil. They love full sun and good drainage. They are excellent rock garden candidates, and thrive in moderate summer temperatures and low humidity.

Filed Under: Clippings Tagged With: growing pasque flower, Pulsatilla vulgaris, seed

Copyright 1996-2025 Michigan Gardener. All rights reserved.