Family: Boraginaceae
Common Name: Lungwort

Grown for their delightful flowers, some of these hardy, European and Asian, dwarf perennials also have attractive, silver-spotted leaves. The flowers generally appear very early in the year, in late winter or early spring, and are mainly in shades of blue. They are excellent for woodland gardens and groundcover.

Species

P. angustifolia, blue cowslip, has blue, tubular-shaped flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, which emerge from basal rosettes of mid-green foliage, in spring. It grows to a height and spread of around 30 cm (12 in).

P. officinalis, lungwort or Jerusalem cowslip, grows to 30 cm (12 in), with pink to violet flowers and leaves spotted with white. This plant was formerly used in folk medicine to treat diseased lungs.

Cultivation

Grow in any ordinary, moist garden soil, well supplied with humus, in partial shade or even full shade. Propagate from seed or by division, in spring. They can be divided every few years. Pulmonaria works well planted with other early spring-flowering plants, such as primroses, and it can be allowed to naturalize under deciduous trees.

Climate

Cool climates are best. Zone 4.