Mitella diphylla
Bishop’s Cap
- Partial shade preferred
- Rich to average soil
- 12” to 24” tall. 8” to 16” wide
- Ontario Native, Beginner Friendly, Thrives in Woodland and Forest ecosystems.
Blooming at the same season as Woodland Phlox and Wild Geranium, this woodland species thrives in the same conditions, enjoying dappled to full sun in the spring and a bit of shade from the hot summer sun.
They like a rich woodland soil and consistent moisture best, but do just fine in my dry-in-the-summer backyard. They form a mound of foliage, somewhat reminiscent of Tiarella, but are slower to spread in my experience, tending to stay put and grow fairly slowly.
Their flowers are held in airy spires that show off their fringed, snowflake like form in mid to late May.
Their foliage holds up well through the summer, rather than going dormant when the heat hits, which can make them a lovely companion to spring ephemerals like Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis) and Trilliums.
In addition to Phlox and Geranium, these would be lovely alongside Columbines, Sedges, Alumroot and Violets.
I find that their foliage grows to around 12” tall, with the flowers rising well above that, to as high as 30”. While not common in garden centers, this is a species that I think would do well in a lot of urban garden settings.
