Susan is also blogging at GardenRant.Pulmonaria / Lungwort
Pulmonaria is another excellent performer in the shade. Its fabulous pink and purple spring flowers are just the beginning for this plant — its speckled foliage dazzles all season long! In mild winters it's even evergreen.
Originally from the mountains of Europe and Asia, it's increasingly popular here, thanks in part to the excellent new introductions from Terra Nova Nurseries in Oregon.
Details
- Needs shade, either partial to full, especially during the heat of the day.
- Hardy to Zones 3-9.
- They hybridize freely, so seedlings may look different than the parents.
Care
- Keeping them watered in drought periods will improve their resistance to mildew. (But mine aren't watered and they don't get mildew, even here in the humid Mid-Atlantic region.)
- Mulch to retain moisture.
- Remove any tattered leaves or leaves with mildew on them (with high humidity, it can happen). Nice new leaves should appear in about 2 weeks.
- No need to divide. If extras are desired, divide in spring after blooming. Water and shade the divisions; they'll wilt but don't give up. Just water them regularly in their first season.
Good Information in Print
- The Well Tended Perennial Garden
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust is the best-selling book on how to make your perennials healthier and better-looking. - Encyclopedia of Perennials
by Graham Rice is exhaustive and an outstanding general resource on the subject. - The Complete Flower Gardener
by Cutler and Ellis is another source I consult regularly.
Location Matters
I grow this plant in the Washington, D.C. area, Zone 7A. If you've grown them and have comments you'd like to see included here, send 'em along — and tell me where you garden.