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I remember the first time I met the genus Pulmonaria, a tiny blue flower in February sheltering under the north wall
of an old brick house. I remember being perplexed and it took a few days to identify it. This is the plant I saw, and it gives me a small chilly thrill every time I see it in a garden. This little shoot turned up at a plant sale and the time had come to grow it myself. There are better, bluer, more modern, mildew resistant forms about. They are all wonderful (though there are perhaps a few more than absolutely necessary) but they will never quite replace this. Pink buds open to pure blue flowers on a leafy scape. The unspotted foliage develops in ground covering clumps as the flowers mature. Writing in The Plantsman, Brian Mathew says: "The remaining species, which have rough unspotted leaves, are the mainly Eastern European P. angustifolia L., P. montana Lej., P. alpestris Laqmotte and P. visianii Degen & Lengyel. Only P. angustifolia is known in gardens and this is a superb plant with some particularly fine cultivars, including the lovely blue 'Azurea'. This species has flower stems which tend to spread rather than being strictly erect so that it is a fairly low growing plant." |
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| 13th March 2013 | ||
