Lungwort
Pulmonaria saccharata · Boraginaceae
Clusters of flowers that open pink and turn blue, in early spring, over long leaves spotted with silver. The foliage stays handsome all summer in moist shade.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early April to early May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around lungwort
The planner designed this bed around lungwort 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lungwort × 5, blue
- 2 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 3, tan
- 3 White turtlehead × 5, white
- 4 Japanese meadowsweet × 3, pink
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 White wood aster × 3, white
- 7 Giant snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Snowdrop × 10, white
Why this plant
- The only dense clusters. The others are spires, plumes, daisies and others. 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 64% of the edge.
- 5 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From early April to early May.
- Fills a gap. For six of those weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 3 of the 5 groups (60%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. White runs through the planting: 4 of the 7 kinds grown for their flowers have it. Giant snowdrop is the first into flower, in mid February, and white wood aster the last to finish, in early October.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lungwort 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: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
One of the first perennials to flower, and then a silver-spotted foliage plant for the rest of the year. Cut off the old leaves after flowering for a fresh crop. It wilts and mildews in dry soil.
- Early flowers and spotted leaves for shade
- Edging a woodland path
- Early nectar for bees
What to plant with lungwort
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for six weeks, from early April; bold leaves against its medium ones.
- Bleeding heart: in flower together for two weeks, from early May; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about lungwort
Does lungwort need sun or shade?
Lungwort 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 grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lungwort flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 5 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Late March to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 8 | Mid 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 be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
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 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 runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used five in one group.
Is lungwort poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat lungwort?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after lungwort?
Lungwort is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Bleeding heart: from early May to early June, 2½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Lily of the valley: from early May to late May, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Sweet woodruff: from early May to early June, 8 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does lungwort look like in winter?
Lungwort 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 'Diana Clare' Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'
- Lungwort 'Raspberry Splash' Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash'
- Lungwort 'Trevi Fountain' Pulmonaria 'Trevi Fountain'
- Red lungwort Pulmonaria rubra
In these guides
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Plants with blue flowers
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early April to early May; dense clusters; blue, pink, white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; variegated
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Comes from
- Europe
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.