Lungwort

Lungwort: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, compact clumps about 30 cm tall and 45 cm wide.

Leaves

Oval to heart-shaped, rough, hairy and spotted with white; after flowering larger, fresh leaves appear.

Flowers

Clusters of funnel-shaped flowers on stems of 20–30 cm, from March to May.

Colour

The flowers open pink and turn blue-violet; in ‘Sissinghurst White’ they are white.

Roots

A short, creeping rhizome; the clump spreads slowly.

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

Why grow it?

• One of the first bee plants of the year: bumblebee queens and early wild bees visit it from March.
• Pink and blue flowers on the same plant at the same time, from March to May.
• White-spotted leaves that renew themselves after flowering and stay handsome into autumn.
• Native and easy in partial shade under shrubs and trees.
• A low clump that combines well with spring bulbs and ferns.

Lungwort: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade or shade; in full sun the leaves wilt and scorch.
• Humus-rich loam or clay, neutral to chalky.
• Average soil that does not dry out; a cool spot under shrubs is ideal.
• Plant 5–6 plants per m², 40–45 cm apart.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Neutral or chalky

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.3 m tall, 0.45 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: Flowers just before and alongside the lungwort.
• Daffodil: Yellow flowers beside the pink and blue.
• Hellebore: Flowers at the same time and likes the same partial shade.
• Ferns: Take over the shady border in summer.
• Hosta: Large leaves that emerge later, beside the spotted foliage.

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 twice as wide as the pot and mix in leaf mould or compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot; the crown must not be buried.
4. Space 5–6 plants per m², 40–45 cm apart.
5. Water in well straight away and keep the soil moist for the first few weeks.
6. Mulch with leaf mould to keep the soil cool.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells: plants that dry out soon get powdery mildew.

Feeding

Usually not needed; a layer of leaf mould in spring is enough.

Mulching

A mulch of leaf mould keeps the soil cool and moist.

After flowering

Cut off the flower stems and old leaves; the plant soon makes fresh, spotted foliage.

Rejuvenating

Divide the clump every 3–5 years, when it goes bare in the centre.

Tip: Cut off the old leaves and flower stems straight after flowering and water well: you will soon have a fresh clump of spotted leaves that looks good all summer.

Lungwort: when to prune it?

Pruning months: May–June.

When: After flowering, in late May or June, cut off the flower stems and the old leaves.

How:

• Cut the spent flower stems off at the base.
• Also cut off the old leaves, which are often affected by powdery mildew; leave the young leaves in the centre.
• Then water and add some leaf mould: within a few weeks there is a fresh clump of spotted leaves.

Caution: Do not cut the leaves off in winter or early spring: by then the flower buds are already sitting in the heart of the plant.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

After flowering or in September: lift the clump, split it into pieces with their own roots and a few leaves and replant them at once. Water well.

Seed

It self-seeds freely; the seedlings may differ from the parent in leaf spotting and flower colour.

Lungwort: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed.
• Some leaves remain through winter; by late February the flower buds are already appearing.
• A late frost can damage some flowers, but the plant usually carries on flowering.

Diseases and pests

• Powdery mildew: White powder on the leaves, mainly in dry summers and after flowering. Remove affected leaves, water and mulch.
• Slugs and snails: Holes in young leaves in spring. Pick them off in the evening.
• Wilting leaves: In sun or dry soil the leaves wilt on warm days. Water and move the plant to more shade.
• Bare clump: Older plants open up in the centre. Divide them after flowering and replant the young outer pieces.

Through the year

• February: Flower buds appear in the centre. Watch out for slugs.
• March: Flowering begins. The first bumblebees arrive. Planting.
• April: Full flower, pink and blue together. Planting.
• May: Last flowers. Cut off spent stems and old leaves.
• June: Cut off old leaves if not done yet. Divide. Water during dry spells.
• July: Water during dry spells. Watch for powdery mildew.
• August: Water during dry spells.
• September: Planting and dividing.
• October: Planting. Mulch with leaf mould.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• People once thought the spotted leaves looked like lungs, hence the name lungwort. This old ‘doctrine of signatures’ has no scientific basis.
• The change from pink to blue is caused by a change in the acidity of the cell sap in the petals.
• In March it is a favourite nectar plant of the hairy-footed flower bee, an early wild bee that looks like a small bumblebee.