Pulmonaria Cambridge Blue
Flowers that open pink and turn pale blue give Pulmonaria officinalis Cambridge Blue its two-tone look through early spring. Buds and open flowers sit in the same cluster, so the plant carries both colours at once. Lungwort follows the flowers with rough, silver-spotted green leaves that build into a low mound and hold through summer. Flowering runs from August into October.
Lungwort is a shade plant, and it does its work where a border needs covering early in the season before hostas and ferns come up. Plant it under deciduous shrubs, along a south-facing fence, or as an edge to a woodland bed. The spotted foliage keeps the ground looking furnished long after the flowers have gone over.
Part to full shade, in soil that stays moist. Dry summer soil is what makes pulmonaria leaves scorch at the edges and mildew, so mulch each spring and water through dry spells. It grows well through cooler and temperate parts of New Zealand and is less content in humid northern summers. Space 30 cm apart. Cut old leaves off at ground level in late winter and fresh ones follow with the flowers.
A spreading mound around 0.25 to 0.3 m tall and 0.45 m across, widening slowly at the edges.
Trimming: Cut the entire clump to ground level in late July before flower stems appear, which removes tired winter foliage and lets the flowers show against clean new leaves. Shear the plant over again in January if summer heat has scorched the foliage, and it will regrow within a month. Divide every three or four years in autumn.
Deadheading: Remove flowering stems at the base once the last flowers fade, which tidies the plant and encourages the summer leaf mound to develop properly. Pulmonaria self-seeds, and seedlings rarely match the parent, so cutting stems off before seed ripens is worth doing.
Fertilising: Feed with a balanced slow-release fertiliser in early spring, then mulch with compost or leaf mould. The mulch matters more than the fertiliser here, because it holds the summer moisture that keeps the foliage in good condition.
Watering: Water through summer dry spells without fail, as this is the one thing that separates a good pulmonaria from a scorched one. Established plants in a shaded moist position need little help, but any plant near a wall or under a tree canopy will need regular attention through January and February.
Pest Control: Slugs and snails take young leaves in spring, particularly on plants that have just been cut back. Control them from August. The bristly mature foliage is largely left alone once it hardens.
Disease Management: Powdery mildew is the common problem, appearing as a white bloom on the leaves in dry or crowded conditions. Cutting the whole plant back and watering well produces clean regrowth. Improve airflow and keep the roots moist to prevent it returning.
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