Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'
Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain' ·
Long, pointed leaves heavily spotted with silver, and large clusters of cobalt-blue flowers in early spring.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 22 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early April to mid May
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'
The planner designed this bed around lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' × 3, blue
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 10, tan
- 3 White turtlehead × 3, white
- 4 Foxglove × 4, purple
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Yellow trout lily × 8, yellow
- 7 Hardy cyclamen × 7, pink
Why this plant
- The only airy sprays. The others are spires and bells. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only blue.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 38% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- In flower for 7 weeks. From early April to mid May.
- Opens the season. In its first week nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 2 of the 4 groups (50%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bold leaves of foxglove are set against the fine leaves of inkberry 'Gem Box', the kind of contrast that keeps a bed from blurring. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 53% of the visual weight and the right half 47%.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Among the most heat-tolerant and mildew-resistant lungworts, with the strongest blue. The spotted leaves carry the planting from May to autumn.
- Early blue for shade
- Spotted foliage all summer
- Planting with hellebores and bulbs
What to plant with lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Lenten rose: in flower together for six weeks, from early April; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Japanese painted fern: its silver leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'
Does lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' need sun or shade?
Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Mid April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Early April to mid May |
| Zone 6 | Late March to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to early May |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to late April |
| Zone 9 | Early March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 22 in (55 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is there a native plant like lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'?
Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Woodland phlox 'Blue Moon': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 4 in narrower, flowers late April to late May.
- Jacob's ladder 'Stairway to Heaven': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early May to early June, fine leaves, not medium.
- Wild geranium 'Espresso': the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers early May to early June.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after lungwort 'Trevi Fountain'?
Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Columbine: from early May to mid June, 24 in tall.
What does lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' look like in winter?
Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
More Pulmonaria
- Lungwort Pulmonaria saccharata
- Lungwort 'Diana Clare' Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'
- Lungwort 'Raspberry Splash' Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'
- Red lungwort Pulmonaria rubra
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 22 in (55 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early April to mid May; airy sprays; blue
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; green, silver
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.