Erythronium dens-canis Japonicum (Dogs Tooth Violet)

Erythronium dens-canis 'Japonicum' (Dog's Tooth Violet) is a charming perennial boasting graceful, nodding, violet flowers, one per stem, in mid-late spring. Each blossom features elegantly reflexed petals adorned with dark purple markings in the throat. The reflexed petals reveal long, purple-tipped white anthers. The blossoms rise well above the basal foliage of broadly-oval leaves, copiously marbled with purple-brown. Lovely in groups under deciduous trees, in rock gardens or near ponds and streams where it will happily multiply.

• Grows in clumps up to 4-10 in. tall (10-25 cm). This beauty naturalizes quite easily in the shade garden.
• Easily grown in humus-rich, well-drained soils in part shade. Needs moist soil, even when dormant, do not let the soil dry out!
• Stunning in beds and borders, rock gardens, underplanting shrubs or roses, cottage gardens or in prairies. Because it goes dormant after blooming, interplant with late emerging perennials to fill in the open space (bleeding heart, columbine and hostas).
• Virtually disease free. Watch for slugs. Deer resistant.
• To be planted in fall. Propagate by division after flowering.