The liverwort gracefully transforms semi-shady and shady locations into a sea of blue flowers. If you struggle with low-light, calcareous niches, this lovely perennial is there with vital growth power. The following answers to frequently asked questions reveal how the floral charm offensive works in your garden.
How to care for liverworts in the garden?
Liverworts thrive best in partially shaded to shady, bright spring locations with loose, calcareous and humus-rich soil. The ideal planting time is autumn. The plant develops lush, blue flower colors and is poisonous, so be careful around children and pets.
Planting liver flowers correctly
Choose a location that is bright in spring under deciduous trees or in a partially shaded perennial bed in deep, loose and calcareous soil, fresh, moist and rich in humus. While small planting pits are created there at a distance of 20-25 cm, the liverworts that are still potted are in a container with water. A completely soaked root ball noticeably accelerates the subsequent growth process. How to proceed:
- Enrich the excavation with compost, horn shavings and a little vital lime
- Unpot the plants, place them in the soil up to the bottom pair of leaves and water
Follow our recommendation and choose autumn as the optimal planting time. Before the first frost, spread a thick layer of leaves over the bed to protect against frost and moisture.read more
Care tips
If left undisturbed, liverworts develop bright blue flower carpets of magnificent opulence. You can easily follow this wish for peace and quiet, because at the appropriate location, care revolves solely around the following measures:
- Watering in dry conditions with calcareous tap water
- In March, an organic starting fertilization with compost or better nettle manure
- Fertilize liverworts in pots liquidly every 14 days
- Cutting is not necessary
If liverworts thrive under deciduous trees, leaves should not be raked in autumn. The fallen leaves act as natural winter protection. Cultivated in a planter, the distinctive perennial moves to the bright winter quarters and then moves to the balcony at the end of February/beginning of March.read more
Which location is suitable?
Liverworts thrive lushly and vitally in partially shaded to shady, spring-bright locations. These requirements are excellently met under deciduous trees. While the small perennial blooms magnificently in March/April, enough rays of sunshine penetrate the leafless branches of trees and bushes. If the canopy has closed in summer, the reduced lighting conditions are sufficient for the summer-green foliage.read more
The correct planting distance
With a planting distance of 20-25 cm you are well advised to arrange a dense carpet of flowers with liverworts. If you plant 12-16 specimens per square meter, the delicate perennials will create a magnificent spring scene in the bed.
What soil does the plant need?
The better the soil at the chosen location can cope with the humus-rich forest soil, the more opulent the blue flowers will be. The perennial shows its strengths in sandy-loamy soil with an alkaline pH value of 7 to 7.4. In the wild, liverworts always look for loose, well-drained and calcareous soil without any risk of waterlogging.
What is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant spring-flowering perennials is autumn. Liverwort is no exception. If you plant the pretty little ones in the ground between the beginning of September and mid-October, they will be there on time in March with their first blooms.
When is flowering time?
The native wild perennial Hepatica nobilis and the varieties resulting from it bloom in March and last well into April. If you combine the immigrated Transylvanian liverwort (Hepatica transsilvanica), you can look forward to the happy flower magic from January/February.read more
Cut liver flowers correctly
Pruning per se is not necessary on liverworts. If you clean out wilted flowers in spring, this measure creates a clean appearance. In order to create the desired flower carpets, the perennial should be given the opportunity to self-sow anyway. The foliage feeds the plant automatically, so you don't have to unnecessarily expose yourself to the toxic content when cutting.
Water liver flowers
Under the influence of normal spring weather with repeated rainfall, the need for additional irrigation water takes a back seat. Liverworts are only watered when drought persists. This is even more true when, in summer, the dense canopy of neighboring deciduous trees no longer allows rainwater to pass through. Ideally, you should apply the lime-containing tap water directly to the roots using the spout, as overhead irrigation impairs the beauty of the flowers.
Fertilize liver flowers properly
If the quality of the soil is close to humus forest soil, organic starter fertilization at the end of February/beginning of March is sufficient. In order to meet your desire for privacy, we recommend liquid fertilization with nettle manure or a commercially available preparation. In the bucket, however, there is a higher need for nutrients. If you administer a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 14 days from March until the end of the flowering period, the abundance of flowers leaves nothing to be desired. There is no need to add fertilizer in the year of planting or after repotting in a nutrient-rich substrate.
Wintering
So that liverworts do not suffer any damage until they start flowering in late winter, they are given protection from leaves before the first frost. If the location is under deciduous trees, simply leave the fallen leaves lying there. When grown in pots, place the small perennial in a bright, frost-free greenhouse or unheated stairwell. At the end of February/beginning of March, carry the planters onto the balcony so that they begin their blossom festival. Water during wintering in the bed when there is clear frost. In the winter quarters, the root ball must not dry out under any circumstances, so watering is carried out repeatedly.
Propagate liverworts
Propagation by division, which at first glance seems obvious, is not recommended for liverworts. If the spread at the location is disrupted to such a massive extent, the next flowering will take 2-3 years to arrive. We therefore recommend sowing for offspring. However, this is coupled with a long line of patience, because Hepatica seeds are in no hurry to germinate. How to do it correctly:
- Harvest the ripe seeds in good time before they are carried away by ants
- Fill a seed tray with loose sowing soil to scatter the fresh seeds on top
- Sift over with sand or vermiculite, press down and moisten with a fine shower gel
- Place in a partially shaded, sheltered spot in the garden or on the balcony
The following year, germination begins in January/February, provided the cold germinators received the required cold stimulus of 0 to 4 degrees Celsius for 4 weeks. The two cotyledons thrive in the first year, followed by additional leaves the following year. Liverworts are pricked out in the third year after the seeds ripen in order to be planted out in the fall of the fourth year.
How do I transplant correctly?
The liverwort doesn't like disturbances at all. Where the perennial is at rest, dense, lush carpets of flowers develop over the years. Therefore, if possible, do not replant the little beauty because you will have to wait several years for it to bloom again. If the distinctive flower thrives in a pot or balcony box, it is only repotted when the container has roots. The less the root ball is affected by this action, the faster the plant recovers from stress.
Liver flowers in a pot
In pots and balcony boxes, liverworts act as picturesque underplants for larger perennials or deciduous trees. As long as the plant neighbors also prefer a calcareous substrate, creative compositions are created that attract everyone's attention. Position the container in a sunny location so that the liverworts are shaded. To ensure that planting and care go smoothly, please pay attention to the following aspects:
- Spread fine grit over the water drain in the bottom of the pot as drainage
- Use common potting soil as a substrate, optimized with vital lime or rock dust
- Water regularly as soon as the soil has dried out
- Fertilize liquidly every 14 days from the beginning of budding until the end of the flowering period
Since the root ball in the pot could freeze in winter, put the liverworts in bright, frost-free quarters. Continue watering the perennials to prevent them from drying out.
Is liverwort poisonous?
Liverworts are members of the buttercup family. This fact makes experienced hobby gardeners sit up and take notice, because such plants are all poisonous. The perennials therefore have no place in the family garden. If small children curiously stuff the flowers or leaves into their mouths, fatal symptoms of poisoning can result. Where there are pets nearby, liverworts should not be within reach. Since mere skin contact can cause serious irritation, gardeners are strongly advised to wear gloves during all care and planting work.
Liverflower is not blooming
Liverworts contain the power for a long perennial life for many decades. This means that the plants are in no particular hurry to grow and take a leisurely approach to flowering. Therefore, do not expect lush flowering in the first year. Seedling-propagated species and varieties take up to 4 years before they bloom for the first time. In addition, there are the following reasons why a liverwort does not bloom:
- Too acidic or dry soil
- Drought stress
- Nutrient Deficiency
In addition, the little beauty refuses to bloom if it has been exposed to the stress of division or transplanting.
Nature conservation
In the wild, the liverwort presents itself in an enchantingly beautiful way with bright blue carpets of flowers in forest clearings and along the path. The delicate beauty makes enthusiastic hobby gardeners want to plant them in their own garden. There is nothing wrong with this as long as the plant is not picked or dug up in Mother Nature's garden. According to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance, liverworts are protected.
Beautiful varieties
- Blue Forest: The variety likes to spread out under old trees as a sky-blue carpet of flowers; Growth height 10 cm
- Red Forest: Where red tones dominate, this variety shows its strengths; Growth height 10 cm
- Alba: White-flowering Transylvanian liverwort with fluffy hair; Growth height 10-15 cm
- Winter joys: The light blue-violet flowers appear in mild locations from January onwards; Growth height 15 cm
- Flore pleno: Native liverwort with double flowers in bright blue; Growth height 10 cm
