My 10 Favourite Pulmonarias
Pulmonarias come into their own over winter. Whilst the leaves of most herbaceous plants die back, the leaves of most pulmonarias are at their best, giving a stunning silver and green cover. Some varieties flower in December and January, giving lovely colour in the depth of winter and with a good selection you can have pulmonarias flowering from December through to May.
I have been thinking lately about the plants I would take with me to a new garden. Sometime, with advancing years we will have to leave our three-acre patch and move to a smaller garden.
Which of the over 100 varieties of pulmonaria would I take? These are my 10 favourite pulmonarias: the ones I could not live without.
- Pulmonaria ‘Stillingfleet Meg’
I love this; it is healthy and not rampant. The flowers are a pretty pink in the longifolia mode with narrow dark green slightly spotted leaves and of course it is named after my eldest daughter, therefore it is a must. - Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’
This is by far the best dark blue with relatively large flowers. It has several disadvantages; no foliage in the winter, rather plain dark green, unspotted leaves and is prone to mildew. However the flowers are wonderful. - Pulmonaria ‘Mary Mottram’
The first I was lucky enough to name. It came from Mary Mottram’s nursery in Devon as P mollissima. Excellent foliage in all conditions, the leaves are relatively large with a silvery centre and spotted edge. The flowers are large and soft mauve. Best of all the foliage looks good all winter. - Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’
Not as vigorous as I would like but has good large white flowers. I look forward to a white longifolia or one with silver foliage but at the moment it has to be this one. - Pulmonaria ‘Roy Davidson’
One of my favourites because it does so well in my garden; It makes a mound of well spotted leaves and has pale blue flowers in clusters; it is healthy and flowers over a long period. - Pulmonaria ‘Cotton Cool’
Long elegant upright foliage, which although it is silver does not burn in the sun and survives for most of the winter. Blue and pink flowers in clusters but it is the foliage, which puts it in my list. - Pulmonaria ‘Barfield Regalia’
Chosen because it reminds me of Richard Nutt who named it and with whom I had vigorous arguments about the merits of various Pulmonarias. The longest foliage of any with a few pale green spots; The flowers are in clusters and are rather a drab purple but as it is often in flower at Christmas it must taken with me. - Pulmonaria ‘Blauer Hugel’
There are several in this group including ‘Benediction’, Little Star’, ‘Netta Statham’ so any would fill this niche. Small clump forming with narrow dark green leaves and few pale spots; the flowers are a good bright blue. - Pulmonaria ‘Opal’
Another good Yorkshire variety. Good narrow well spotted leaves and large flowers which open pale blue and fade to pale pink, exactly like an opal. No mildew makes an elegant clump and is one of the last to flower. - This is difficult, it is between P. ‘Crawshay Chance’ the best spotted foliage of any pulmonaria and P.’Cally Hybrid’ which is very useful, making a tight carpet of unspotted green leaves above which rise masses of bright blue flowers. Choice would depend on the type of garden I was moving to and the space available.
This is a personal choice and I have left out many which are stalwarts in my present garden. P. mollis which flowers very early but has foliage like a spring cabbage,P. rubra probably too vigorous for a small garden. P.rubra ‘David Ward’ which I find a beast to grow , I could go on and on........
I cannot recommend pulmonarias enough for winter interest. I have recently been potting them all on for sale in the nursery and have an excellent selection available for planting out now. You can see the full pulmonaria catalogue here and an order form here.