Vancouveria hexandra

The bright white flowers of this beauty are delicate, unique, and attractive to pollinators. Each spring, they dangle plentifully from the stems, their petals reflexed upward as though someone grabbed the center and pulled it inside out! The foliage is equally charming and iconic, soft green in color, gentle to the touch and on the eyes, and with an adorable shape well-deserving of its other common name, ducks foot.

• Plant type/canopy layer: deciduous perennial herbaceous plant
• Size at maturity: 0-1′ tall, 1-2′ wide
• Light requirements: full shade, part-sun/part-shade
• Moisture requirements: dry to moist soil, well-drained
• Bloom time: April – Aug (May – July in the Portland Metro area)
• Growth rate/ease: moderate growth rate, easy to grow
• Wildlife support: flowers attract and support bees and other insect pollinators; overall plant supports beneficial insects and pest eating insects and is a caterpillar host plant and larval food source
• Native habitat/range: Locally common growing in deep shade and dappled light of conifer forests at low to mid-elevations across SW WA, western OR and NW CA. Portland Plant List – yes.
• Special features & uses: landscape uses include pollinator gardens and woodland gardens

Gardening with Inside-out Flower: Inside-out flower is the ideal candidate for any well-drained area of your woodland garden. Though it grows well in dry areas, be sure the soil is still mature and rich in organic matter – such as a complex conifer understory. It spreads modestly by rhizomes – but not quickly. Be sure to plant in multiples if you would like this to fill in as a charming groundcover. The delicate leaves look lovely contrasted with fern fronds and the hardier leaves of cascade Oregon grape and Wild Ginger.

Photo Credit 1, 2, 4, 5: Nikkie West, Sparrowhawk Native Plants

Photo Credit 3: “White inside-out flower” by Jonathan Lidbeck is licensed under CC BY 2.0