How to Grow Claytonia Plants in your Garden

Gardener's HQ Guide to Growing Mayflower, Miner's Lettuce and Spring Beauty

Claytonia are small hardy perennials (sometimes annuals) that have succulent leaves.

They flower in early spring with pink or white petals. Other names for Clarkia include grass flower, Spring beauty and Mayflower.

Due to its small size of about 7 to 13 cm it makes an ideal plant for rockeries.

Claytonia perfoliata
Claytonia perfoliata - Miner's lettuce by Miguelvieira.

Claytonia megarhiza
Claytonia megarhiza by Brewbooks.

Claytonia Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Miner's Lettuce, Mayflower, Spring Beauty, Good Morning Spring, Claytonia.
Life Cycle: Hardy annual. Hardy perennial.
Height: 3 to 8 inches (7 to 20 cm).
Native: North and Central America, Northeast Asia.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 9.
Flowers: Start of spring.
Flower Details: Pink, white. Long stems carrying multiple flowers.
Foliage: Herbaceous. Evergreen. Oval blades.
Sow Outside: 1/8 inch (3mm). Late Summer. Best results using fresh seed sown in flats, under glass in a shady location. Germination time two to three weeks. Transplant to the final location in autumn or the following spring. Spacing 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm).
Sow Inside: No.
Requirements: Shade. Soil pH 5.5 to 7.5. Good drainage with plenty of grit. Rich soils. Regular watering.
Family:
Closely Related Species:
Miscellaneous: Many species of Claytonia used to be in the Montia genus.

How to grow Mayflower - Claytonia

If growing Claytonia from seed it is best to do so outdoors. The seed should be sown at a depth of 3mm in flats from fresh seed in the summer. The flats should have moist soil and be in a shaded area, and covered with glass. They take about 3 weeks to germinate. Seedlings of Mayflower (Claytonia species) should then be planted with a spacing of 10cm in a shaded area of the garden that has rich, gritty and moist soil of pH 5 to 7.

Caring for Claytonia

It is important to keep the soil moist when growing Claytonia to prevent the plant dying. As seeds are difficult to get, if you require more Claytonia plants then you should divide the plant very very carefully in the autumn.