Pulmonary Prognosis Re: Pulmonaria

Lungwort

"O, be some other name! What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;" ---Shakespeare

And this plant, one of my favorites, by any other name
would be as wonderfully sweet! :-)

So... be still my beating heart as I do a Pulmonaria drumroll! :-)
(These are the varieties I have so far.)

'Baby Blue'

'Bubble Gum'

'Diana Clare'

'E.B. Anderson'

'Gaelic Sunset'

'Majeste'

'Milky Way'

'Samourai'

'Trevi Fountain'

I absolutely love these plants. You can tell which ones were new ones planted during Spring 2008 because they have only fall photos. Watching these plants grow and bloom is one of many reasons to look forward to Spring's arrival. ('Gaelic Sunset' is not new; I just couldn't find the photo of its flowers!)

I'm trying to take personal photos of all my plants for my (hopefully soon-to-be) "Wonderful Plant Log Notebook." This notebook is supposed to be one of my (many) Winter projects! Currently, it's in bits and pieces and my imagination. :-)

Pulmonaria love shade and dappled shade. They don't enjoy very dry conditions! Lungwort, like Virginia Bluebells, bud and begin flowering in shades of pink and turn blue as they mature. My wish list contains 'Raspberry Splash.' Doesn't that sound enticing? ;-)

For much more information, and for what seems like it must be a complete list of cultivars and/or varieities, check this site! You can see that if I'm attempting to make a complete collection, I have a Long Way to go! (I doubt that I'll try, but YOU could!) ;-)

Well, this COULD qualify as a shady subject! ;-)

Pulmonaria/Lungwort

Pulmonaria are not large plants. Mine stand from 4 - 10" tall.

I really like these little fellows. There are many varieties. I have only five, but I plan to obtain a few more. This website offers a few for sale (I've never ordered from this supplier), and they include pretty thorough information about the plant and its needs.
Pulmonaria are very early Spring bloomers. They may bloom for a couple of months. Most of the flowers are pinks and blues (varied shades and hues). The leaves are hairy. I met my first pulmonaria in the garden of one of my sisters. The leaves of her plant had become quite dry and stickery! Ouch! But, as long as they're happy and receive enough moisture, they won't "bite."A good winter project would be to create a set of index cards listing the different varieties of each species of plant I have and would like more of. Then I'd be ready for more "serious shopping" this coming Spring!Haven't we had a wonderfully long "Summer?" The temperatures forecast for this coming week are a continuation of nice warm weather. I almost stopped at a garden center on the way home from Omaha today! But, I steeled myself and remained pointed towards home.

Pretty cute, though, aren't they? Just one of the reasons to better appreciate the shady garden.