Siberian bugloss
Brunnera macrophylla · Boraginaceae
Sprays of tiny, forget-me-not-blue flowers float above heart-shaped green leaves in spring. The plain green species is tougher than its silver cultivars.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Late April to late May
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around Siberian bugloss
The planner designed this bed around Siberian bugloss 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 Siberian bugloss stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Siberian bugloss × 3, blue
- 2 Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' × 8, pink
- 3 Foamflower × 11, white
- 4 Northern sea oats × 3, tan
- 5 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 12, yellow
- 8 Fumewort × 12, purple
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only blue.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is seen over bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' (12 in) in front of it.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
- Bold leaf against fine. Bleeding heart 'King of Hearts' is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late April to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With foamflower, yellow trout lily and fumewort in late April: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from late April. Foamflower is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Northern sea oats spreads aggressively. Each plant's details say more.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Siberian bugloss goes in a border
At 16 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 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).
True blue in shade is rare, and this gives it for a month. Afterwards the heart-shaped leaves make a solid, weed-suppressing clump. It self-seeds gently, which helps it fill in.
- Spring blue for shade
- Groundcover under shrubs
- Bold foliage at the front of a shady bed
What to plant with Siberian bugloss
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Bleeding heart: in flower together for five weeks, from early May; medium leaves against its bold ones; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
- Lenten rose: in flower together for three weeks, from late April.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about Siberian bugloss
Does Siberian bugloss need sun or shade?
Siberian bugloss 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 Siberian bugloss 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 Siberian bugloss flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to late 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 | Early May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 5 | Late April to late May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to late May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 8 | Early April to early May |
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 Siberian bugloss 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 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Siberian bugloss 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 three in one group.
Is Siberian bugloss 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 Siberian bugloss?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after Siberian bugloss?
Siberian bugloss is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall.
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': from early June to early October, 18 in tall.
What does Siberian bugloss look like in winter?
Siberian bugloss dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
Is Siberian bugloss good for bees and butterflies?
Siberian bugloss is visited by pollinators and bees.
More Brunnera
- Brunnera 'Alexander's Great' Brunnera macrophylla 'Alexander's Great'
- Brunnera 'Looking Glass' Brunnera macrophylla 'Looking Glass'
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost' Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
In these guides
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Plants for bees
- Plants with blue flowers
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late April to late May; airy sprays; blue
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; green
- 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
- Turkey, North Caucasus, Transcaucus
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.