Pulmonaria - Lungworts for the Temperate Garden

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    Pulmonaria, Pulmonaria, Pulmonaria

    The World of Lungworts

    By Tony Avent

    Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.

    www.plantdelights.com

    9241 Sauls Road

    Raleigh, NC 27603

    919.772.4794

    Pulmonaria Dark Vader

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    There are few plants quite as interesting in the spring woodland garden as the

    pulmonarias(lungworts). Pulmonaria are an excellent bold-textured woodland perennial

    that contrasts well with other early season plants such as hellebores, ophiopogons, ferns,Iris cristata, along with other spring ephemerals in getting the spring garden off to a great

    early spring start. You would think that these durable early spring bloomers with

    attractive foliage would be grown everywhere, but alas no. Perhaps with a name likelungworts, it's no wonder that few folks put these in their plant grocery carts.

    The namepulmonariaarose from the foliage, which is often green with white spots,resembling a diseased lung ... hence the common name lungwort ... and the Latin

    translation,pulmonaria, which became the name for the genus. Herbalists have long

    decried that when a plant resembles a particular body part, it must have medicinal

    properties to cure that particular part of the body. Hence, the continued use ofpulmonariato treat many respiratory ailments.

    The silver spots onpulmonaria leaves are actually the result of foliar air pockets, used for

    cooling the lower surface of the leaves. These air pockets mask the appearance ofchlorophyll in the leaves, creating the foliar patterns that we enjoy as gardeners. The

    logical conclusion is that cultivars with more silver in the leaves should be able totolerate more heat and possibly sun.

    Pulmonaria are perennials that grow from a deciduous basal rosette, usually no more than

    6-10" tall with a spread up to 2'. Pulmonaria flower in late winter/very early spring, someoften beginning around the end of February. The flowers, most of which emerge usually

    either pink or violet, typically change to blue as they age. The flowers are borne in

    corymbs on short stalks that reach just above the foliage.Pulmonaria generally retaintheir foliage until late winter, becoming mostly deciduous (depending on parentage) just

    before the new season's flowering and regrowth begin.

    Pulmonaria Genealogy - the species and their selections

    Pulmonaria are members of the Boraginaceae family and first cousin to other well-knowngarden favorites such as myosotis (forget-me-not), brunnera, symphytum, and mertensia

    (Virginia Bluebell). The genuspulmonaria is composed of 16 species, although only 8

    are known in cultivation. These include Pulmonaria affinis (France, Spain), Pulmonaria

    angustifolia (Central Europe to Russia), Pulmonaria longifolia (UK to Spain), Pulmonariamollis (Central Europe to Asia), Pulmonaria officinalis (throughout Europe), Pulmonaria

    rubra (Balkans), Pulmonaria saccharata (France and Italy), and Pulmonaria vallarsae

    (Italy).

    The other virtually unknown species to gardeners are Pulmonaria dacica, Pulmonaria

    filarszkyana, Pulmonaria helvetica, Pulmonaria kerneri, Pulmonaria montana, Pulmonariaobscura, Pulmonaria stiriaca, and Pulmonaria visianii. Pulmonaria hail from a native

    range encompassing much of Europe and into Russia. In the wild, they usually grow in

    deciduous woodlands. Some species are found in moist sites, while other species hail

    from drier regions.

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    Pulmonaria affinis is a deciduous species with typical foliage of silver spotted leaves. It is

    one of the bestpulmonaria species for sun tolerance, and it is only represented in thetrade by one cultivar, Pulmonaria 'Margaret' (Hardiness Zone 4-7)

    Pulmonaria angustifolia has been the source of much nomenclatural confusion, since theplant in the horticultural trade as Pulmonaria angustifolia doesn't match the real

    Pulmonaria angustifolia. It is still unknown whether the Pulmonaria angustifolia in

    commerce is an unknown species or a hybrid group. There is only one cultivar of the truePulmonaria angustifolia ... a plant that goes by the invalid name of Pulmonaria

    angustifolia 'Alba'. There are several cultivars of the fake Pulmonaria angustifolia, the

    most commonly grown being Pulmonaria 'Blaues Meer'. These fake Pulmonaria are

    stunning plants with green foliage and known for their intensely cobalt blue flowers.(Hardiness Zone 3-7a)

    Pulmonaria longifolia is a semi-evergreen species that can make 1' tall x 3' wide clumps

    of long, narrow leaves. Like Pulmonaria affinis, it has good sun tolerance. There are threecultivars of Pulmonaria longifolia in commerce including: Pulmonaria 'Bertram

    Anderson', Pulmonaria 'Ankum', and Pulmonaria 'Dordogne'. Because Pulmonarialongifolia is such an exceptional garden plant with good mildew resistance, it has been

    used in a number of newly created hybridpulmonarias, especially the heavily spotted

    forms from South and Central France, known as Pulmonaria longifolia ssp. cevennensis.

    (Hardiness Zone 5-8)

    Pulmonaria mollis is the largest growing of thepulmonariaspecies, forming a 2' tall x 2'

    wide deciduous clump of green leaves, speckled either silver or light green. It also hasgood sun tolerance. Pulmonaria mollis is represented in commerce by the cultivars,

    Pulmonaria 'Royal Blue' and Pulmonaria 'Samobor'. (Hardiness Zone 4-7a)

    Pulmonaria officinalis is a semi-evergreen species with the classic leaf spotting.

    Pulmonaria officinalis is represented in commerce by several cultivars including

    Pulmonaria officinalis 'Alba', Pulmonaria 'Blue Mist', and Pulmonaria 'White Wings'. Ithas also been used in many early hybrids, but because it is so mildew-prone, many of the

    newer hybrids exclude this species. (Hardiness Zone 4-7)

    Pulmonaria rubra is a semi-evergreen species to 1' tall x 18" wide with large, solid green,hairy leaves. Unlike most otherpulmonaria species, the flowers are salmon red. There are

    a number of selections of Pulmonaria rubra in commerce, but since they have poor heat

    tolerance, they are confined to cooler summer climates. These cultivars includePulmonaria 'Barfield Pink', Pulmonaria 'Bowles Red', Pulmonaria rubra 'David Ward'

    (white-edge leaves), and Pulmonaria 'Redstart'. (Hardiness Zone 5-7a)

    Pulmonaria saccharata is a semi-evergreen species with typical silver-spotted foliage,

    forming an 18" tall x 20" wide clump. Selections of Pulmonaria saccharata in commerce

    include Pulmonaria 'Leopard', Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon', Pulmonaria 'Pink Dawn', and

    Pulmonaria 'Reginald Kaye'. (Hardiness Zone 3-7).

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    Pulmonaria vallarsae is a deciduous species with wavy-edged leaves that can be found

    with both spotted and unspotted leaves, forming a 10" tall x 20" wide clump. There areno known confirmed cultivars of Pulmonaria vallarsae in commerce. (Hardiness Zone 6-

    8).

    Pulmonaria hybrids

    Over the years, the number and quality ofpulmonaria hybrids has dramatically increasedand improved. Most of the early hybrids from the EU countries, wherepulmonariasgrow

    native, were discovered as wild or garden origin seedlings. It was Dan Heims of Oregon's

    Terra Nova Nurseries who really began a directed breeding program withpulmonarias.

    Only a handful of the EU selectedpulmonaria cultivars are available in the US, and manyonly exist in small specialty nurseries in the EU. With a few exceptions, the US market is

    dominated by the Terra Nova introductions.

    The current generation of hybrids were ushered in by Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson'. Thisseedling of Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' (and probably Pulmonaria

    saccharata) occurred in the garden of the late Seattle plantsman Roy Davidson. Like itsparent, Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson' is very tolerant of heat and humidity. The flowers are

    a very light blue, compared to the dark blue of Pulmonaria 'Bertram Anderson'. This

    introduction is the parent of many of today's best cultivars.

    Another group that changed our concept ofPulmonaria was the solid silver leaf form,

    first known as Pulmonaria saccharata 'Argentea'. Pulmonaria 'British Sterling' (a Henry

    Ross introduction from England's Adrian Bloom) was the first of these solid silver formsto hit the market, but distribution was poor and the plant was prone to reversion.

    Pulmonaria 'Majeste', a much improved selection (first sold in 1988) soon followed, and

    this French introduction from Didier Willery of La Ferme Fleurie Nursery was a muchsuperior plant with a better PR agent. Pulmonaria 'Majeste' (a seedling found near a

    clump of Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon') has velvety leaves of pure silver ... not a speck of

    green on the leaves. I first saw this at the old Washfield Nursery in the UK in the mid-90s. Since then, this splendid plant has been further hybridized with Pulmonaria

    longifolia to create new solid silver leafpulmonarias with good heat tolerance. One of my

    favorites is Pulmonaria 'Samourai'. Ten years after the introduction ofPulmonaria

    'Majeste', Didier introduced this cross of his originalPulmonaria 'Majeste'andPulmonaria longifolia var. cevennensis. Pulmonaria 'Samourai' makes a superb clump of

    narrow, pure silver foliage, topped with cobalt blue flowers in spring.

    Pulmonaria 'Spilled Milk', and Pulmonaria 'Excaliber' PP 8958, patented in 1994, started

    the pulmonaria revolution at Oregon's Terra Nova Nurseries. Since then, Terra Nova has

    introduced over 20 newpulmonariahybrids (most patented), 17 of which came duringtheir lungwort phase between 1997 and 2002. (through the end of 2009). Of those, 11 are

    still currently in commercial production. Some other significantpulmonaria hybrids are

    also still available in the market (2010).

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    Pulmonaria 'Benediction' (Benediction Lungwort) This Jerry Flintoff introduction, named

    after Lois Benedict, has dark green leaves and very dark cobalt blue flowers. (Hardiness

    Zone 4-7)

    Pulmonaria 'Bubble Gum' PP 14,086 (Bubble Gum Lungwort) This Terra Nova

    introduction arose as an open pollinated seedling that had good mildew-resistant silverfoliage, topped with rose pink flowers that don't fade to violet. (Hardiness Zone 4-7)

    Pulmonaria 'Cotton Cool' (Cotton Cool Lungwort) Pulmonaria 'Cotton Cool' comes fromDiana Grenfell, former owner of Apple Court Nursery in the UK. The long, narrow, solid

    silver leaves are topped in late winter with clusters of pink and blue flowers. In

    comparison trials, this always ranks as one of the top lungwort selections. (Hardiness

    Zone 4-8).

    Pulmonaria 'Dark Vader' PP 12,333 (Dark Vader Lungwort) Pulmonaria 'Dark Vader' is

    an open pollinated seedling from Pulmonaria 'Victorian Brooch', characterized by a

    compact habit of thick, dark green leaves, highlighted by good silver spotting and flowersof pink and blue. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Excaliber' PP 8,958 (Excaliber Lungwort) This Terra Nova cross of

    Pulmonaria saccharata 'Argentea' and Pulmonaria 'Margery Fish' created a plant with

    pure silver leaves surrounded by a green border, topped with flowers of pink to wine-red

    in late winter. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'High Contrast' PP 12,337 (High Contrast Lungwort) This Terra Nova

    introduction is an open pollinated seedling of Pulmonaria 'Berries and Cream',characterized by ruffled silver leaves with a dark green margin. The clumps are topped

    with violet flowers that age to blue. (Hardiness Zone 4-7)

    Pulmonaria 'Margery Fish' (Margery Fish Lungwort) This lungwort from plantswoman

    Margery Fish was originally thought to be a selection of Pulmonaria vallarsae, but was

    found to be a hybrid. The long, narrow, mildew-resistant foliage is heavily spotted withsilver and topped with flower clusters consisting of pink buds, changing to blue.

    Pulmonaria 'Margery Fish' is the winner of the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit.

    (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Milky Way' (Milky Way Lungwort) Pulmonaria 'Milky May' is an open

    pollinated seedling from Pulmonaria 'Margery Fish' that forms a 15" wide clump of

    heavily-spotted, lance-shaped, mildew-resistant leaves and topped in late winter withpink-wine blooms that fade to blue. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon' (Mrs. Moon Lungwort) The name Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon' hasbecome almost meaningless. Grown since the 1930s, Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon' is so

    prolific from seed that many disreputable nurseries grow it this way resulting in a grab

    bag of poorly performing plants. No one even knows what the original Pulmonaria 'Miss

    Moon' looked like, so pick one of the better choices and avoid this one. (Hardiness Zone

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    4-7)

    Pulmonaria 'Moonshine' PP 13,686 (Moonshine Lungwort) This Terra Nova introductionis the result of an open pollinated seedling of unknown parents. Pulmonaria 'Moonshine'

    is characterized by a compact habit, heavy substance, and short silvery leaves with good

    mildew resistance. The clumps are topped with light violet blue flowers in late winter.(Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash' PP 12,138 (Raspberry Splash Lungwort) This Terra Novahybrid resulted from a cross of Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' and Pulmonaria

    'Leopard'. Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash' is characterized by large, bright raspberry

    colored flowers and long bloom time. The clump is composed of narrow, upright, well

    spotted foliage. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Silver Bouquet' PP 20,059 (Silver Bouquet Lungwort) This 2008 Terra Nova

    introduction is an open pollinated seedling from Pulmonaria longifolia var. cevennensis,

    probably with Pulmonaria saccharata. Pulmonaria 'Silver Bouquet'is similar toPulmonaria 'Samourai' with very long, solid silver, mildew-resistant leaves. The clumps

    are topped in late winter with rosy violet flowers. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain'PP 13,047 (Trevi Fountain Lungwort) This Terra Nova

    hybrid resulted from a cross of Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' and Pulmonaria

    'Margery Fish'. Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain' forms a compact clump of long, narrow,silver spotted foliage, topped with stalks of cobalt blue flowers. (Hardiness Zone 4-8)

    Pulmonaria 'Victorian Brooch' PP 11,234 (Victorian Brooch Lungwort) Pulmonaria'Victorian Brooch' is a Terra Nova hybrid of Pulmonaria 'Margery Fish' and Pulmonaria

    'Leopard', characterized by very large flowers, a compact scape of purple flowers and a

    2.5 month bloom period. (Hardiness Zone 4-7)

    Culture

    Pulmonaria are short-lived plants by nature and the only way to maintain them on a long-

    term basis is to divide the clumps every 3-5 years. I like to do this in fall and winter,

    when the entire clump can be lifted, teased apart, and replanted. Actually, any season that

    you have time to divide the plant will work. In the garden,pulmonarias prefer moist,well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. While they are quite drought tolerant, a

    consistently dry soil doesn't give the best long-term results.

    I have also found that light shade with a few hours of morning sun is preferable. While

    lungworts will grow for a short time in very dark settings, this is not the ideal condition

    for best performance. In deep shade, where air circulation is often less than ideal, manyof the cultivars will tend to get powdery mildew on their foliage during the summer.

    While this is unsightly, it seems to cause little problems for the plants, unless the plants

    also suffer additional stresses from poor growing conditions. The diseased foliage can be

    removed and discarded and the plant usually comes back with fresh undamaged foliage.

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    There is a big difference between cultivars with regards to their disease resistance, as

    outlined above, with hybrids of Pulmonaria longifolia seeming to be the best at resisting

    mildew.

    Propagation

    Pulmonaria are quite easy to propagate. I've already mentioned dividing plants, but

    cultivars can also be increased by root cuttings. Anypulmonaria roots that are the width

    of a typical pencil lead can regenerate new plants. Root cuttings need to be 2-3" long andstuck vertically with the end furthest from the plant crown down ... polarity is very

    important. Pulmonaria will also seed in the garden in well prepared, organic soil, so

    watch closely and you may discover something unique.

    Trials

    The results of two well-knownpulmonaria trials are worth mentioning, but note that

    performance varies dramatically by location. I urge you to seek out both the results fromthe Chicago Botanic Garden trials, published in 2001 and the Royal Horticultural Society

    Trials, published in 1999, if you live in climates similar to these. Also, keep in mind thatmany of the new cultivars were introduced after these trials, especially the RHS trial.

    References

    Bennett, Marsha (2003). Pulmonarias and the Borage Family, Timber Press.

    Hewitt, Jennifer (1999). "Well Spotted" The Garden.

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