Helen,
I know this as Mertensia sibirica (pterocarpa)...this and M. virginica are the only two species in a genus I am quite fond of that have been long-lived and reliable for me. I've tried a number of other small western species, without being able to keep them happy.
It's a great plant; good foliage, wonderful flowers with the typical pink-in-bud turning blue blooms over a very long period (late spring through summer). It has survived winters of -45C.
I've tried it in various sites---for me it was very unhappy (and not pretty) in shade, becoming lax and not in character. For a time I moved it to light shade, where it was decidedly happier, but rotted in the end.
It has, however, been wonderful in full sun in my scree garden. This bed has a lot of underlying moisture (as it is next to one of my large ponds, and the soil is high clay). Here it is tidy, floriferous and has prospered.
