Pulmonaria plants
Pulmonaria are herbaceous or semi-evergreen perennials producing attractive clusters of funnel-shaped blooms in shades of blue, pink and violet in late winter or early spring. These are produced above a clump of broad, hairy, pale green foliage reaching up to 30cm tall, often with striking speckles of white or silver across the leaves. Pulmonaria are resilient, shade-loving plants well suited to growing in the challenging areas cast into shadow below larger shrubs and trees. They also do well along a fence, garden wall, or other structure that provides some shade without compromising soil moisture. They often produce flowers of two or more colours on a single plant, sometimes due to the flower colour fading a little as they age, producing a beautiful two-tone effect. The nectar-rich flowers are well-loved by bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Pulmonaria is commonly known as lungwort because its leaves are shaped like lungs, and lungwort was indeed once used medicinally to treat lung ailments. Grows best in a moist yet well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil.