Pulmonaria × digenea
Common Lungwort
Pulmonaria officinalis
L. Species
- Botanical name
- Pulmonaria officinalis
- Also known as
- Bloody-Butcher, Blue Lungwort, Boys-and-Girls, Common Lungwort, Hundreds-and-Thousands, Jerusalem Cowslip, Jerusalem-Sage, Joseph-and-Mary, Lungwort, Mary-Spilt-the-Milk, Soldiers-and Sailors, Spotted-Dog
- Family
- Boraginaceae
- Genus
- Pulmonaria
- Flowering period
- March to May
- Height
- 25–30 cm
- Spread
- 45–60 cm
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy (RHS H7)
- Reference
- World Flora Online
How to grow Common Lungwort
Partial to full shade
Moderate; dislikes drying out
Humus-rich, moisture-retentive
Neutral to slightly alkaline
Planting
Plant in autumn or spring in shade under shrubs or on a north-facing border, in soil improved with leaf mould or compost. The spotted leaves carry the display long after the flowers finish, so it earns its space as ground cover.
Pruning
Cut the whole plant, flowers and leaves, down to the ground once flowering ends and water it. A fresh mound of clean, well-marked foliage follows and lasts until autumn.
Propagation
Divide after flowering or in autumn and water the divisions in well. It also self-seeds, though seedlings vary in the amount of leaf spotting.
Pests and diseases
Powdery mildew regularly disfigures the old foliage by early summer, particularly in dry soil. The post-flowering cut-back is the practical answer.
Value to wildlife
Valuable early forage: the flowers open pink and age to blue and are worked by emerging bumblebee queens and by the hairy-footed flower bee in early spring.
Notes
It will not thrive in dry shade at the base of a wall or under a conifer without added organic matter and watering. Flowers change colour with age, so pink and blue appear on the same plant, which is normal.
This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.
Other names for this plant
These names have all been used for Pulmonaria officinalis but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.
Pulmonaria tridentina
Others in Pulmonaria
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