Rules for planting and caring for lungwort in open ground, varieties and cultivation

Lungwort does not have large and bright flowers; on the contrary, they are small. A special feature is that all the flowers are multi-colored: blue, lilac, crimson and soft pink. The spotted leaves gathered into a chic bush attract the eye. Lungwort is unpretentious in planting and care, grows well in open ground.

General description of the plant

Pulmonaria is the second name of the plant. Belongs to the Burachnikov family.The plant has a straight, downy stem, up to 30 centimeters in height. The leaf is basal, long-petiolate, velvety. It has an elliptical shape, with a pointed end.

Flowering begins as soon as the snow melts and continues until May. An inflorescence with small flowers, collected in a shield and located at the top of the stem. Flowering is not simultaneous. The young flower produces a pink bud, then begins to darken, up to lilac. Because of this feature, it turns out that the inflorescence contains flowers of different colors.

Bees love lungwort because it is a honey plant. Its young leaves are rich in potassium salts, calcium, iron, nickel; they are added to salads. Contains vitamin C, carotene and rutin. These elements will be preserved even when boiled, pickled and dried.

Interesting! In England, lungwort is grown in large quantities. Precisely because of its beneficial properties.

The appearance of the plant may vary slightly among different types of pulmonaria.

Types and varieties of lungwort

Breeders have turned an inconspicuous forest flower into a decorative pet, which is grown by many gardeners. There are 15 natural species and about 20 bred varieties.

The most decorative types include:

1. Shaft lungwort is rare. Spectacular and heat-loving appearance. It differs from all species in having unusually large leaves. In early spring, their color is green, with silvery spots, and by summer the spots, merging, fill the entire leaf, and it becomes silvery. The Majesty variety is very similar in leaf color. The inflorescences bloom in early spring and are purple-red in color.
2. Red lungwort. It is considered the earliest of the species. The flowers are bright red. Characterized by long-lasting flowering. Bushes of small, monochromatic green leaves grow quickly and form a dense cover.
3. Medicinal lungwort grows to a height of no more than 30 centimeters. It is characterized by high winter hardiness. Withstands frosts down to -35 °C without damaging the root system. Flowering begins in mid-May and lasts a month. The inflorescence changes color: from red shades at the beginning of flowering to purple at the very end.
4. When growing, the softest pulmonaria forms dense and large bushes, no more than 50 centimeters high. Peduncles with large blue-violet flowers appear at the end of April. Leaves of lush green color are formed throughout the summer.
5. Longleaf lungwort grows to only 25 centimeters in height. It has very impressive leaf coloring. On the dark green base of the leaf there are silvery inclusions of varying sizes. The lower part is gray-green in color. The long-leaved variety can be planted in a sunny location. Pink buds open in April. Over time, they change color to blue.
6. Lungwort obscure. Leaves are green. When flowering, the color of the flowers changes - from soft pink to dark lilac. This species prefers light and fertilized soils.
7. Sugar lungwort has a second name - spotted borage, sugar. It is considered a ground cover and evergreen. Its leaves create a huge green carpet, and with the arrival of spring it turns purple.

In addition to plant species, there are popular garden varieties of this flower.

Hybrid variety Samurai. It reaches a height of 30 centimeters. It has a spreading crown with green foliage and an erect stem. The burgundy and purple flowers open in May and continue to bloom until June. Plant in partial shade and light areas.

The Majestic variety is considered the most popular. It cannot be confused with other varieties. Its leaves are light green in spring and become brighter in summer, with a silvery tint.The pink flowers later turn blue. Tolerates weather changes and wintering well.

Features of landing

In order for the plant to take root well and delight you with its first flowers every year, you need to take into account some planting features.

Time and place of landing

Spring is the best time to plant lungwort in a permanent place in open ground. The first days of April are the period when the soil is richest in nutrients. And this is important for good rooting and development of the flower.

Grows well in both shade and partial shade. You can plant it in a sunny place, but not in direct sunlight.

Preparing the soil for planting

It loves fertile soils and does not tolerate stagnant water. Choose a well-drained area. Before planting lungwort in the ground, you need to prepare the place in advance. Within a week, the soil needs to be dug up, all weeds removed and fertilized with humus.

Step-by-step planting instructions

The technology for planting young seedlings is not complicated. Even a novice florist can master:

1. In a previously prepared area, you need to make holes for planting. They must be at a certain distance - 20-25 centimeters - from each other.
2. If the area is prone to stagnation of moisture, then drainage should be placed at the bottom of the hole: coarse sand, expanded clay or small pebbles.
3. The seedlings are removed from the planting cups along with the soil, being careful not to damage the plant. To do this, you first need to water and wait a little. Turn the plant over onto your palm, holding the stem between your fingers.
4. Place the flower in the hole, cover it with earth to the base and compact it with your hands.
5. Water the plant with clean water and sprinkle with sawdust.

In the right place, the plant will quickly take root and grow.

Important! Lungwort, when planting, does not need to be deeply buried in the ground.

Proper care

There are some important points in caring for and growing ornamental lungwort that will not take much time.

Watering and mulching

Watering is important for lungwort. It accepts abundant and regular hydration. But she also does not like excess moisture. Depending on the soil on which the plant grows, you need to choose the necessary mode for watering.

The best option is to moisten the plant when the top layer of soil under the bush begins to dry out. Lungwort prefers loose and light soils. Therefore, loosening of the top layer is carried out regularly. This procedure provides oxygen access to the roots and improves the permeability of fluid to them. To ensure that moisture remains under the bush for as long as possible, the ground around it needs to be mulched with peat or sawdust.

Fertilizer

Needs feeding during active leaf growth and bud formation. Fertilize mainly with mineral complex compounds and organic matter. They are distributed under a lungwort bush. Fertilizers can also be diluted in water. Take 20 grams of the mineral composition and dissolve it in 10 liters of clean and warm water.

Should lungwort be trimmed?

In the spring, old and dried leaves are cut off to prevent rotting of young shoots and to maintain a well-groomed appearance. After flowering, cut off the flower stalks to prevent scattering of seeds.

You cannot trim the leaves of the plant in the fall, as they serve as insulation for the roots. All cuts on the plant must be made with a clean and well-sharpened tool.

Preparing for winter

As for the lungwort plant, preparing for winter does not require much trouble.The plant calmly tolerates this period, except for two types of plants: shaft-shaped and soft. In autumn they are covered with leaves, peat or grass. Other types are mulched with sawdust or peat.

Diseases and pests

The big advantage of lungwort is its immunity to diseases. Pests also avoid this plant. An exception may be slugs and snails, which are attracted to dampness under the bush due to excessive watering.

To prevent the appearance of these pests, you need to remove weeds in time and not flood the plant.

Reproduction methods

Lungwort can be propagated in several ways.

By dividing the plant. Using this method, the varietal characteristics of a perennial flower are preserved. In the spring, you need to dig up the bush and cut the root into pieces. The resulting material is planted in holes at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other. You need to adhere to the same depth at which the flower grew before dividing the bush.

If you couldn’t divide the bush in the spring, you can do it in the fall too. After the plant's faded flowers begin to fall off, it's time. Sugar and long-leaved pulmonaria are propagated in this way.

Root sections. At the end of summer, they dig up a bush and cut off the parts of the root that have a bud. Then they are planted in prepared holes to a depth of 4 centimeters. This method is used to propagate the shaft-shaped, medicinal and narrow-leaved species of lungwort. The distance between the holes should be more than 30 centimeters, as these species grow greatly.

Seeds. This method is rarely used. Only the softest lungwort grows well from seeds. Other species, with this method, lose the qualities of the mother plant. Flowering begins only in the 2nd year.

The seeds quickly lose their viability, so they need to be planted in the year of collection.

Decorative properties

This primrose, thanks to the color of the leaves and early flowers, looks great in group plantings of early flowers in flower beds. Naturally, this shrub appears among conifers, forming a dense carpet around them.

Lungwort is planted along the edge of borders; it frames them aesthetically. It is indispensable both in alpine hills and in group plantings of summer flowers: phlox, astilbe, daylilies. Looks very good in composition with hosta of various varieties.

Lungwort is a flower that tolerates shade well. It will decorate a shady corner where other flowers do not grow. And in the spring it will delight you with the first flowers. Its chic bush of bright leaves will be appropriate in any part of the garden.