There is nothing quite as striking in the spring woodland garden as the lungworts. You would think these durable early spring bloomers with attractive foliage would be grown everywhere, but alas no. Perhaps with a name like lungworts, it's no wonder that few folks put these on their plant grocery carts.

Pulmonarias hail from a native range encompassing much of Europe and into Russia. In the wild, they usually grow in deciduous woodlands. Some species prefer moist sites, while other species are from drier regions.

The name pulmonaria arose from the foliage, which is often green with white spots, resembling a diseased lung...hence the common name lungwort...and the latin translation pulmonaria which became the name for the genus.

Herbalist have long decried that when a plant resembles a particular body part, it must have medicinal properties to cure that particular part of the body. Hence, the continued use of pulmonaria to treat many respiratory ailments.

Pulmonarias consist of several commonly grown species, P. angustifolia, P. longifolia, P. rubra, P. saccharata, P. officinalis, and P. vallarsae.

Pulmonarias are perennials that grow from a basal rosette, usually no more than 6-10 inches tall with a slightly wider spread. They flower in very early spring, usually beginning around the end of February. The flowers, usually either pink or blue are held on short stalks that reach just above the foliage.

Pulmonarias generally retain their foliage through most of the winter, becoming completely deciduous only slightly before the new seasons flowering and regrowth begin.

Pulmonaria saccharata is the most commonly grown of the species, represented by the commonly grown variety P. Mrs. Moon'. The leaves on all Pulmonaria saccharata cultivars are felty green with abundant white spotting. P. Mrs. Moon' has a nice combination of pink and blue flowers.

Pulmonaria officinalis, although it is the species most commonly used in medicine, is rarely seen in gardens. In this country, the only garden clone is P. Sissinghurst White'. While this cultivar lacks the vigor of some of the lungworts, I have planted mine where they receive some morning sun and good air circulation, and they seem quite happy.

P. rubra is somewhat of a different member of the pulmonaria family. The leaves are slightly larger, but without spots. Also, unlike most of the pulmonarias, the flowers are a salmon pink, without any hint of the usual blue color. P. rubra actually spreads slowly in the garden, particularly when grown in rich moist soils. My favorite of this group is P. rubra David Ward'. This gem is the first and only truly variegated pulmonaria. This spectacular white edged form was found at Beth Chatto's nursery in England, and is finally making its way into the US...mine has been doing fine for a couple of years.

A species worth looking for is P. angustifolia. This is another of the solid green leaf species, but one that is worth growing for the flowers. Last summer, when I was in England, I picked up a plant of P. Mawson's Variety'. The show of incredible cobalt blue flowers against the dark green foliage this spring have been absolutely spectacular.

For the south, there is nothing that can equal Pulmonaria longifolia. This species with long narrow foliage (longifolia) is much more tolerant of heat and drought...a great benefit in the south. The only form of this species that is usually available is P. Bertram Anderson' or E.B. Anderson'. This form was originally selected for better flower color and more spotting on the leaves. This has recently been surpassed by a US selection, P. Little Star' which is similar in form, but much more vigorous and floriferous.

There are a number of pulmonaria hybrids, the best for our area is P. Roy Davidson'. This seedling of P. Bertram Anderson' and probably P. saccharata occurred in the garden of plantsman Roy Davidson. Like its parent, P. Roy Davidson' is very tolerant of conditions here in the south. The flowers are a very light blue, compared to the dark blue of P. Bertram Anderson'.

There are a number of new cultivars coming on the market from American breeders. Many are proving quite good, and will rival any of the European and English Introductions.

Three of my favorite new cultivars are from west coast breeder Dan Heims. His Pulmonaria Excalibur' is truly a sight to behold. It has totally silver leaves that virtually shine, surrounded by a narrow green edge. Pulmonaria Milky Way' has proven to be a very vigorous grower, with the best floral display of any of the lungworts. P. Spilled Milk' is a compact charmer. When the light pink and blue flowers top the very compact plant in spring, it's all you can do to help run get the camera.

There are a number of new hybrids that I will try to discuss more in the future.

My favorite new pulmonaria is P. Majeste'. This French introduction has velvety leaves of pure silver...not a speck of green on the leaves. Last summer, I saw this at Washfield Nursery in England. Despite my best effort at drooling, I wasn't able to bring this gem back to the states...yet!

There is unfortunately a problem getting reliable cultivars, since some disreputable firms grow lungworts from seed. A case in point is the common P. Mrs. Moon', which is almost exclusively grown from seed. Since seedlings vary dramatically, always pick out a well spotted vigorous form.

Some wholesalers have chosen a nice form and are tissue culturing it. You can easily tell by looking at an entire block for uniformity. If in doubt, buy from a reputable nursery.

In our gardens, pulmonarias prefer moist soil that is rich in organic matter. I have found that light shade with a few hours of morning sun is preferable. Many of the cultivars will tend to get some powdery mildew on their foliage during the summer. While this is unsightly, it seems to cause little problems for the plants. It appears that hybrids with P. longifolia seem to be resistant to this problem.