Pulmonaria x longifolia Diana Clare - Pulmonaire hybride Diana Clare

The Pulmonaria ‘Diana Clare’ is among the most silvery varieties of lungwort. Its long, narrow leaves gradually become covered with a broad silvery patch, while their edges retain a few dark green speckles. In early spring, large violet-blue flowers appear above this foliage, which remains decorative until late in the season. This vigorous variety makes an excellent groundcover for a shaded border, at the edge of woodland or under deciduous shrubs, in moist, humus-rich soil.

Lungwort belongs to the Boraginaceae family, like borage and forget-me-nots. It is a herbaceous perennial with a rhizomatous rootstock: its stems and leaves may partially die back in cold weather, but the rootstock remains alive and produces new growth in spring. In regions with mild winters, part of the foliage persists until spring. 'Diana Clare' is a horticultural hybrid related to Pulmonaria longifolia, a species native to Western Europe that grows in open woodland, edges and shaded scrub. This cultivar was discovered in 1995 in the British nursery of Bob Brown, who named it in honour of his wife, Diana Clare. It has received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. The plant forms a dense clump 25 to 30 cm tall in flower and 40 to 50 cm wide. Its short rootstocks allow it to spread gradually and form a carpet. The basal leaves, lanceolate and slightly undulate, are covered with short hairs that give them a somewhat rough texture. The young leaves are speckled with silver against a green background; as they grow, the pale area extends until it occupies almost the entire lamina, while small green marks remain visible at the margins. The flowering takes place from March to May, depending on the climate: the flowering stems bear clusters of funnel-shaped flowers. The buds are purplish, then the corollas gradually turn from blue-violet to cobalt blue. They are visited by the first pollinating insects. This lungwort copes better with summer heat and powdery mildew than many broad-leaved cultivars.

The Pulmonaria ‘Diana Clare’ earns its place in a partially shaded border, at the edge of a path or between deciduous shrubs whose canopy is light in spring. Three to five young plants, spaced 40 cm apart, are enough to gradually form a carpet of silvery foliage. Its blue flowers will sit alongside the white pompons of the Anemone nemorosa ‘Vestal’ and the ‘Thalia’ daffodils, which flower at the same time. The brown-marked foliage of the Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’ will provide a backdrop for its pale leaves, and the Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ will take over in late spring with its pinkish-white spikes. All of them appreciate humus-rich soil that retains some moisture in summer.