Brunnera macrophylla Dianes Gold - Siberian Bugloss

Brunnera macrophylla 'Diane's Gold' is a new Great Forget-me-not variety that is a true gem for shaded areas of the garden. Its lime-green foliage retains its beautiful golden tones from spring until the frosts arrive, and is covered for two to three months with tiny sky-blue flowers, as delicate as those of forget-me-nots.  It is an easy-to-grow deciduous perennial with no specific requirements other than damp soil in summer. It spreads slowly but steadily and eventually forms a thick carpet, remarkable in shade and also stunning in containers.

Brunnera macrophylla, also known as Siberian Bugloss, is a perennial belonging to the Boraginaceae family, just like forget-me-nots and common borage. It grows in forests in Eastern Europe and Northwestern Asia, on humus-rich soils. It is cultivated for its delicate flowers reminiscent of forget-me-nots and its ground-covering habit that forms a thick carpet of deciduous foliage.

'Diane's Gold' variety was discovered a few years ago in a garden in Wisconsin, USA, attracting attention for its magnificent foliage colour. With a bright pale green hue largely tinged with golden yellow, it maintains an excellent appearance throughout summer. In April-May, numerous small sky-blue flowers appear on delicate peduncles on stems that are 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) tall, arranged in paniculate clusters. If the initial bloom is removed when it fades, there may be a second flowering in autumn. At maturity, this brunnera spreads to a width of 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20in). The foliage forms a generous mound of heart-shaped, slightly hairy leaves, with a final length of 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in). The clumps spread very slowly through their rhizomatous roots and can self-seed quite easily, however these new plants are not always true to the parent plant.

Quite hardy, to -15°C (5°F), 'Diane's Gold' Great forget-me-not is a delightful, worry-free groundcover to be planted under deciduous trees and shrubs. Its foliage, as well as its flowers, brighten up shady areas in an exceptional way and is very decorative in shaded pots and containers. It is also a good border plant that works wonders in wild gardens or fairly loose perennial beds, alongside lamiums, hellebores, heucheras, lungworts, Ajuga, or columbines. It pairs well with spring-flowering bulbs, especially tulips, in semi-shade of course.