Lungwort: The Shade Garden Star With Silver-Spotted Foliage

A cottage garden favorite, this easy-care perennial has it all. Whether you need an attractive hosta alternative for shade, a unique foliage plant for a sunny border, or an early-blooming treat for pollinators, lungwort delivers.

Its rather unfortunate common name comes from its resemblance to diseased lungs—it was once used as a treatment for such ailments. Thankfully, what was once considered a plant aberration is now celebrated as beautiful, with many named cultivars available.

Botanical name: Pulmonaria saccharata 'Mrs. Moon'
Common name: Lungwort, Bethlehem sage, soldiers and sailors
USDA zones: 3 to 8 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Low to average
Light requirement: Partial shade to full sun
Mature size: 1 foot tall and 16 inches wide
Benefits and tolerances: Deer resistant; hummingbird favorite; tolerant of damp soils
Seasonal interest: Spring through fall
When to plant: Spring or fall

Distinguishing Traits

Lungwort is one of the earliest perennials to emerge in spring and one of the last to go dormant in fall.

The large, elongated leaves are spotted with silver—this would be an attractive foliage plant even without blooms. Clusters of tubular flowers rise above the foliage in spring, offering an early treat to hummingbirds and bees. Each flower opens pink before fading to blue, creating a wonderful two-tone effect that inspired the common name "soldiers and sailors."

How to Use It

So many possibilities. A few ideas:

• • Interplant with early-spring bulbs
• • Combine with astilbe in a woodland garden—lungwort makes a beautiful ground cover
• • Use in containers for three seasons of interest
• • Cut a few flowering stems for a windowsill posy
• • Combine with other silver foliage plants for an elegant monochromatic scheme

This photograph shows lungwort with 'Silver Mound' wormwood (Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana'). The contrast between coarse, spotted lungwort and feathery wormwood looks stunning in a sunny garden all summer.

Planting Notes

Lungwort prefers well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, though it tolerates both wetter and drier conditions. Cut back flowering stems and leaves after blooming; mildew may be a problem without this step. New foliage quickly regrows to form a tidy mound.

Plants divide easily in early fall.

More: What to Do in Your Garden Now