Virginia Bluebells

This patch of Virginia Bluebells is on the dry, north side of my big Red Oak. This location contradicts what my Peterson's guide says is its natural habitat, but I've been told that many wildflowers normally found in moist to marshy areas actually do well in dryer conditions if it's shady. It started as a single clump that was in this spot when I moved in ten years ago. One year, after it went dormant, I divided it and got the several clumps you see here. It flowers and goes dormant very early so don't use it in a place where it will leave a gap when it goes. This planting is intermingled with some wood ferns that don't compete with their early display. The bluebells' flowers start as pink buds that turn blue as they open. Besides dividing them as I did, I suspect they may be propagated by seed since an abandoned garden nearby is thick with them in the spring.