The nodding flowers in mid to late spring are modest to our eyes but extraordinarily attractive to all manner of forest pollinators. Although usually pale lavender in colour, the flowers of Virginia Waterleaf in the wild can be pure white, a nice mid-range purple, or pale pink. The distinctively lobed leaves emerge in the spring spotted with silver. It is the silvery spots which give the plant the name Waterleaf. Alas, the pretty spots fade as the leaves mature.

Virginia Waterleaf spread by rhizomes and by seeds so, where it is well suited, it can easily form a robust ground cover. It prefers dappled deciduous shade and it is tolerant of heavy clay soils. Thus it is an excellent choice for shady city gardens with compacted soils. If summer droughts have left the foliage looking tattered, the plants can be cut down and they will produce a crop of fresh leaves for autumn.

Good companions for Virginia Waterleaf might be White Snakeroot, Wild Geranium, and Zigzag Goldenrod.