Long-leaved lungwort

Long-leaved lungwort: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, wide clump about 30 cm tall and 45 cm wide, with a creeping rootstock.

Foliage

Long, narrowly lance-shaped, up to about 30 cm long including the stalk, rough and hairy, spotted silvery white; green in mild winters.

Flowers

Small clusters of funnel-shaped flowers of about 1.5 cm, from March to May.

Colour

Pink in bud, then deep blue to violet.

Roots

Creeping, fibrous and shallow rootstock; it transplants well.

Flowering: March–May · Plants: March–April and September–October · Pruning: June

Why grow it?

• Beautiful silver-spotted foliage that stays decorative all summer, even after flowering.
• Flowers from March, when bees and bumblebees still find little food.
• Ground cover: a dense clump suppresses weeds under shrubs and trees.
• Tolerates more sun than other lungworts as long as the soil stays moist.
• Fully hardy to about −30 °C and faithful in the same spot.
• Little work: one cutting back after flowering and some compost is enough.

Long-leaved lungwort: where does it grow best?

• Half shade or light shade; it also copes with light sun as long as the soil always stays moist.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil: loam or clay, acid, neutral or chalky.
• Simply moist soil: not too dry and not waterlogged.
• Sheltered from the fierce afternoon sun and from drying winds.
• Allow 40–50 cm per plant; in a group of 3–5 it forms a carpet fastest.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Not fussy

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.45 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Hellebore: Large flowers and sturdy foliage in the same half shade.
• Yellow daffodil: Yellow daffodils and blue lungwort flowers make a classic spring duo.
• Hosta: Comes up later and takes over once the lungwort has finished flowering.
• Male fern: Fresh green fronds that complement the spotted leaves nicely.
• Hardy geranium: A soft ground cover that fills the space in summer.

Long-leaved lungwort: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or in September–October, when the soil is neither frozen nor too wet.
2. Dig a hole as wide as the root ball and mix in a few spadefuls of compost or leaf mould.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil well.
4. Leave 40–50 cm between plants; plant in groups of 3–5.
5. Water in generously straight away, even if it is raining.
6. Spread a thin layer of leaf mould as mulch around the plants, without covering the crown.

Care

Water

Keep the soil moist, especially in a sunny spot and in dry summers. Limp leaves are a sign of drought.

Feeding

A thin layer of compost or well-rotted organic fertiliser in spring.

Mulching

A thin layer of leaf mould in autumn keeps the soil cool and moist.

Spent flowers

Cut off faded clusters to limit self-seeding.

Cutting back

After flowering, in June, cut the old leaves back to the ground: fresh, clean foliage will follow.

Tip: Plant it in half shade in moist soil; it also tolerates a little more sun, as long as the soil does not dry out. Cut the old leaves back after flowering to get fresh, spotted foliage.

Long-leaved lungwort: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June.

When: In June, after flowering, when the old leaves become untidy or mildewed.

How:

• Cut faded flower stems and the old leaves down to just above the ground.
• Use sharp scissors and do not cut into the new leaf rosettes.
• Water afterwards and add some compost so the fresh foliage grows quickly.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

Divide older clumps after flowering, in May–June, or in September–October. Lift the plant, split it into pieces with roots and leaves, and replant them straight away in moist soil. This is the only way to propagate cultivars.

Seed

Sow fresh seed in summer or autumn in a tray of seed compost and put the tray outside in the cold. Seedlings appear in spring. Because lungworts cross with each other, they do not always resemble the parent plant.

Long-leaved lungwort: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• The foliage stays green in mild winters; in hard frost it is partly damaged, but the plant grows again in spring.
• In a pot: choose a frost-proof pot and do not let the soil dry out.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, especially in dry weather. Water at the base, cut off affected leaves in June and leave space between plants.
• Slugs: Holes in the young leaves. Collect them in the evening and clear hiding places.
• Scorched leaves: Brown, dry edges in a spot that is too sunny or dry. Water generously, mulch or move it to more shade.
• Unlike seedlings: Seedlings do not resemble the cultivar, because lungworts cross with each other. Keep cultivars going by division and remove seedlings.

Through the year

• March: Flowering begins. Plant. Give compost.
• April: Full flower. Plant.
• May: Flowering ends. Divide.
• June: Cut back old leaves. Water.
• July: Water in dry weather.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. Mulch with leaf mould.
• November: Leave fallen leaves as protection.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name longifolia means ‘long-leaved’, after its long, narrow leaves.
• Lungworts carry two kinds of flowers on different plants, with a long or a short style, which encourages cross-pollination by insects.
• It is related to comfrey and forget-me-not: the rough, hairy foliage is a trait of the borage family.