Twinleaf
Jeffersonia diphylla
Pristine white early spring flowers over twin-lobed leaves unlike anything else in the shade garden. Slow to establish, then a fixture for decades.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
A slow-growing but very long-lived woodland classic named for Thomas Jefferson. unique bilobed leaves and early white spring flowers make it a genuine specimen plant for discerning shade gardeners.
Twinleaf is named for Thomas Jefferson, which tells you something about the esteem in which early American botanists held it. The plant's common name describes its most distinctive feature: each leaf is perfectly divided into two equal lobes that make it look like two separate leaves growing from a single stem. The effect is striking and geometrically precise, visually unlike any other shade garden plant. In early spring, pristine white flowers appear before the foliage fully emerges. It's a slow-growing, long-lived woodland perennial that takes a few seasons to establish but then persists for decades, eventually forming a substantial clump. The bold, distinctive foliage is attractive from emergence through fall. A plant for gardeners who appreciate unusual natives and are willing to be patient: the reward is a genuinely distinctive presence in the woodland garden.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown twinleaf propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 10"–1.5' · 10–18 in wide
- Bloom time
- March–April
- USDA zones
- 5–7
- Family
- Berberidaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America. rich, moist deciduous woods and bluffs from New York and Ontario south through the Appalachians to Alabama
Care notes for twinleaf.
Plant in partial to full shade in moist, rich, well-drained soil. Twinleaf is slow to establish and resents disturbance. site it carefully and don't move it. Water consistently through the first two seasons. The foliage goes dormant in late summer heat; plant summer-active companions nearby to fill the gap. Divide only if absolutely necessary and only in fall. Very long-lived once settled.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside twinleaf.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.

Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.

Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.

Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.