Case of the Lungwort

Sounds like a medical condition, doesn't it? It's not. The "Lungwort" is another name for pulmonaria, which is a type of plant that is considered resistant to pests.

Shelby Snider, a Roanoke Valley Master Gardener showed me several types of plants that have it made in the shade and, for various reasons, pests don't like. Many of you may have hostas. If you're like me, they are eaten up with various bugs and slugs. Well, not with Pulmanaria. The fuzzy leaves are something these little insects don't like to chew on, that's what makes this plant a great alternative to the popular hostas. Here are some other Pulmanaria facts:

• Some species are evergreen but most are deciduous with attractive rosettes of leaves and flowers emerging from the ground in very early spring . Plants start to flower in early spring and bloom for a few weeks (April - June.) Flowering stems rise from the top of the plant which many times may still have green leaves after winter. The flowering stems have small leaves and flowers are in clustered cymes. Most plants have funnel shaped flowers with somewhat flaring mouths and small notches on the petal apexes. The petals are fused together into one corolla which is an identifying characteristic of the family Boranginaceae.
  
• Flower colors can be red, blue, white or violet. With some species having red-pink flower buds , opening up to reddish - violet and then turning blue as they age. Flowers close at night and open again in the morning. New leaves begin to grow a few days to weeks after the first flowers open. The first flowers may open when stems are only 1 inch out of the ground and more flowers open over the next few weeks as the stems reach their full height, which is generally around 10-18 inches for most forms. Roots are white and thickly fibrous showing the typical size and structure for plants adapted for damp and wet soils.
  
• Pulmonaria should be planted in a somewhat shady area, like under deciduous trees. They like spring sunshine and morning light. They do not like hot afternoon heat- wilting under the intense heat and light of the summer sun. Plants are not that good in hot humid climates, were they will go dormant in summer and begin to grow again in late summer or early fall, when the temperature is cooler. They also suffer from powdery mildew under these conditions.

For More on The Lungwort or Pulmonaria, click here.