Red lungwort

Red lungwort: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, wide mat about 35 cm tall and 60 cm wide, with a creeping rootstock.

Foliage

Oval to oblong, up to about 30 cm long including the stalk, soft and hairy, light green and unspotted; green in mild winters.

Flowers

Small clusters of funnel-shaped flowers of about 1.5 cm, from February to April.

Colour

Coral red to brick red, sometimes with a slight pink tinge; the foliage is light green.

Roots

Creeping, fibrous and shallow rootstock; it transplants well.

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

Why grow it?

• Flowers from February, at a time when the garden lacks colour and bees and bumblebees can hardly find food.
• Coral-red flowers are rare among lungworts and stand out among blue and pink spring flowers.
• Fast ground cover: a dense mat suppresses weeds under trees and shrubs.
• Soft, light green foliage that stays green in mild winters.
• Fully hardy to about −30 °C and faithful in the same spot.
• Little work: one cutting back after flowering and some compost is enough.

Red lungwort: where does it grow best?

• Half shade or light shade, for example under deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil: loam or clay, acid to neutral.
• Simply moist soil: not too dry and not waterlogged.
• Sheltered from the fierce afternoon sun and from drying winds.
• Allow 50–60 cm per plant; they soon close the gaps.

Light

Partial shade and shade

Soil type

Loam or clay

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.35 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Snowdrop: White, flowers at the same time and makes an early spring garden.
• Winter aconite: Yellow flowers at the same time, a vivid combination with the red.
• Hellebore: Large flowers and sturdy foliage in the same half shade.
• Yellow daffodil: Yellow daffodils and red lungwort flowers make a classic spring duo.
• Male fern: Fresh green fronds that fill the space later in the year.

Red 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 50–60 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 the first year 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 April–May, cut the old, winter-worn leaves back to the ground: fresh, clean foliage will follow.

Tip: Plant it under deciduous trees: in February–March there is still plenty of light, and later it covers the ground. Cut the old leaves back after flowering to get fresh foliage.

Red lungwort: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April–May.

When: In April–May, after flowering, when the old leaves look tatty after winter.

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.

Red 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.
• Hard frost during flowering can damage open flowers. New flowers follow, or cover them with horticultural fleece.
• 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 and leave space between plants.
• Slugs: Holes in the young leaves. Collect them in the evening and clear hiding places.
• Frost damage: Limp, brown flowers after a hard frost during flowering. New flowers follow; if you like, cover with horticultural fleece.
• Scorched leaves: Brown, dry edges in a spot that is too sunny or dry, especially on the white-edged cultivar. Water generously, mulch or move it to more shade.

Through the year

• February: Flowering begins. Cover in hard frost if you like.
• March: Full flower. Plant. Give compost.
• April: Flowering ends. Plant. Cut back old leaves.
• May: Cut back old leaves. Divide.
• June: Water in dry weather.
• July: Water in dry weather.
• September: Plant or divide.
• October: Plant. Mulch with leaf mould.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The species name rubra means ‘red’, after the coral-red flowers. In most lungworts the flowers are blue or pink.
• It flowers as early as February: an important first food source for queen bumblebees and other early bees.
• The cultivar ‘David Ward’ has a broad, creamy white edge to its leaves and flowers coral red.