Thursday, 27 February 2014

Pulmonaria / Lungwort

I have a few Pulmonaria plants in my garden now. They are all "volunteers" that made their way in uninvited. Not that I'm bothered by this, because I think they are very attractive plants, both for their speckly foliage (allegedly similar to the surface of a lung!) and for their curious two-tone flowers.


The other day, when we had frost on the ground, I saw this and thought at first that it was a frozen pine-cone:


Of course closer inspection revealed that it was not. It was a flower-bud cluster. Here is one in non-frosty conditions. The furry spines make it look as if it has a coating of ice crystals:


I find it really strange that this plant has flowers of two different colours on the same stem at the same time.






The Pulmonaria evidently self-seeds pretty readily, and pops up in all sorts of unexpected places, but that suits me fine because it is helping me to give my garden a more natural look.
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11 comments:

  1. Daphne Gould27 February 2014 at 13:22

    It is a beautiful plant. I had some in my garden, but they don't like it here so sadly they were replaced.

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  2. David27 February 2014 at 13:24

    Some yaers ago a fellow gardener gave me a transplant. Now it is all over the garden. One of my favorite early spring blooms. I thinnk it looks nice next to the Hellebores.

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  3. Vesna Maric27 February 2014 at 13:47

    It appeared in my garden too. It is one among the first spring flowers. I sow them in the woods too; came a bit early this year due to the mild weather this winter. The colour of flower buds is often pink, and it changes as the flower matures.

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  4. Kelli27 February 2014 at 14:12

    They are nice looking plants. Glad you are keeping them. And good to see a few more flowers coming into the garden over the past year.

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  5. Jo27 February 2014 at 14:16

    Pulmonaria was the plant I chose last March when I was buying a plant each month. It was a different variety to yours though, pulmonaria angustifolia Blaues Meer. It's not in flower yet, though I don't think it will be long as it was flowering away last March.

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    Replies
    1. Roger Brook - No Dig Gardener27 February 2014 at 18:42

      It's one of my favourites too Jo. It seems to have a very good constitution and what a fantastic dark blue

      Delete
  6. Jo@awholeplotoflove27 February 2014 at 16:14

    It is lovely, I know I don't have any though I would welcome some to pop up.

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  7. Sue Garrett27 February 2014 at 17:48

    I have some white flowered ones too.

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    Replies
    1. Mark Willis27 February 2014 at 19:06

      I didn't know there was a white version!

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    2. Sue Garrett28 February 2014 at 10:05

      Ours is Pulmonaria saccharata 'Alba' but there are other white varieties too. I think the variation of blue and pink is something to do with the flowers changing colour as they age.There are varieties that have flowers that are just pink or just blue too.

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    3. Mark Willis28 February 2014 at 11:02

      "Saccharata" presumably means sweet - as in saccharin, the stuff used to sweeten fizzy drinks etc?
      Sue, I'm so glad you are there. I learn something new from you practically every day! :)

      Delete

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