Meet my friend “Lungwort”

shades of lungwort as it changes from pink to blue

I LOVE my Lungwort. It is the first perennial to bloom in my garden even before the leaves start to pop out on the trees. It is the first color that shows up after the crocus and along with the daffodils and is so welcome after a long winter.

I find this variety (Pulmonaria saccharata) delightful. You can see how the blossoms start out pink and then turn a lovely purple-blue when they fully open. I enjoy seeing the afternoon sun light up the patch of blue growing under the apple tree. The silver-spotted foliage continues to grow larger as the flowers go by and are a nice highlight in the shade garden right up until a hard frost.

It is a polite spreader and is not invasive. It goes where I invite it to and is easy to pull out when it oversteps its bounds. But if you enjoy it as much as I do, you will be willing to let the edge of the garden creep out into the lawn. 🙂 I started with one nursery pot of this and have a nice patch about 4 feet by 8 feet as well as a clump beside the stone wall and another under the willow tree and have given clumps away to friends. With the kids grown up I am encouraging it to spread to areas that I would rather not mow.

Lungwort got its name in the middle ages because its leaves were shaped like a lung and it was used to treat lung diseases. Read more about its history and medicinal uses here.

I have decided to start this garden series to distract me from my Lyme Disease issues. This helps me to focus on what I love rather than what I don’t. I hope you enjoy this first garden post!