Pulmonaria longifolia subsp. cevennensis - Lungwort

The Pulmonaria longifolia subsp. cevennensis is a unique variety of lungwort, both for its long and narrow green foliage strongly maculated with silver-grey and for its spring flowering in clusters of pretty bells that range from pink to blue and violet in a beautiful gradient of colours. This vigorous variety quickly forms an almost evergreen ground cover and is very hardy in moist soil, bringing a lot of whimsy to shaded areas of the garden. The flowering of this perennial often precedes that of primroses and violets!

The Pulmonaria longifolia, also known as Long-leaved Lungwort, is a fully hardy herbaceous perennial plant, belonging to the same family as borage and brunnera, the Boraginaceae. It is a botanical species native to semi-open wooded areas of Europe and Asia.

The Pulmonaria longifolia subsp. cevennensis is a particularly vigorous subspecies, which also resists heat and powdery mildew quite well. This rhizomatous plant forms a high flowering mat 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) tall and spreads laterally without theoretical limit. The leaves, gathered in a flat rosette, are very villous and about 40 cm (16in) long. They are lanceolate, pointed at the top and rounded at the base, while those of the floral stems are alternate, elongated and without petiole. Their color is a fairly light grey-green, maculated with light spots, of a white-silver colour. From March to May-June, for several weeks, angular, branched stems covered with rough hairs emerge just above the foliage. They bear at their tips tubular flowers that gradually change from red to pink, blue and mauve-violet. As the flowers continuously renew, all these colours are present at the same time. This early flowering attracts the first bees, at a time of year when sources of nectar are still scarce. The creeping rhizome of lungworts produces new leaf clumps after flowering, which expand the colony. The foliage persists all year round, even in winter if the frosts are not too severe.

This perennial, which is fully hardy, finds its main use as a ground cover in partially shaded to shaded areas. In winter, in well-protected places, its foliage is often evergreen. It quickly adds a colourful touch to exhausted soil under trees, bushes, along facades or north or east-facing alleys, at the foot of sunless walls. This plant is a blessing in cool climates, where few plants are willing to grow, like Caucasian comfrey and great periwinkle. It nicely fills shaded flower beds and even succeeds in growing under conifers. Plant some spring bulbs that will bloom here and there with your lungwort. Also, consider mixing your flower bed with ground covers that bloom later, such as brunneras, Waldsteinia ternata, or perennial Geranium nodosum.