three-leaf cardamine
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
© Richie Steffen / Great Plant Picks
Cardamine trifolia is an attractive, evergreen groundcover for the shade. This little charmer has three palmate, dark green leaflets that rise to about 6 inches and are topped in spring with short spikes of small white cupped flowers. This cardamine spreads to an almost perfect circle that is about 12 inches across making for a very tidy appearance. Once Cardamine trifolia is established it will tolerate drought conditions and dry shade.
Plant Type: perennial
Foliage Type: evergreen
Plant Height (10-year): 0 ft. 6 in. (0.15 meters)
Plant Width/Spread (10-year): 1 ft. 0 in. (0.30 meters)
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 to 8
Flower Color: white
Flowering Time: spring
Sun/Light Exposure: light, open, dappled, or deep shade
Water Requirements: occasional to regular watering
Seasonal Interest: dainty year-round evergreen groundcover with tiny white flowers in spring
Wildlife Associations: bees
Resistant to: deer
Cardamine trifolia grows well in light, open, dappled, or deep shade with moist, well-drained soil, though it is adaptable to a variety of soil types including sand and clay. Once established it only requires occasional summer watering, although regular watering helps keep a fresh appearance. This plant is almost maintenance free; cleaning up a bit of the spent flower stalks in early summer is all that is required.
Text and photos ©2020 Great Plant Picks/Elisabeth Carey Miller Garden except where otherwise noted
Funded by the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, The Seattle Times, and Individual Donors
Administered by the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden