In short
- The flower is almost that of a forget-me-not, only with a white rather than a yellow eye — and the plant itself is a long-lived perennial, unlike the biennial garden forget-me-not.
- It blooms from April to May, and its leaves stay ornamental right up to the frosts — they reach full size only after flowering.
- A plant for partial shade and shade: in full sun the leaf margins turn brown and dry out.
- It needs humus-rich, steadily and moderately moist soil — it is not a plant for dry shade under trees.
- The silvered and variegated cultivars (Jack Frost, Looking Glass, Dawson's White) are propagated only vegetatively; seed produces seedlings with ordinary green leaves.
Botanical data
- Family
- Boraginaceae (Boraginaceae)
- Height
- 0.3–0.45 m
- Width
- 0.45–0.6 m
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Position
- Partial shade, Shade
- Soil
- Humus-rich, Loamy
- pH reaction
- pH 6–7.5
- Moisture
- Moderate, Moist
- Bloom
- April–May
- Hardiness
- USDA 3a–8b
- Propagation
- By division, From cuttings, From seed
Characteristics
It forms a dense, dome-shaped clump 30–45 cm tall and 45–60 cm wide, spreading slowly by a short, shallow-growing rhizome — Siberian bugloss puts out no long runners and does not crowd out its neighbours. Most distinctive are the basal leaves: large, heart-shaped, long-stalked, with a blade reaching up to 15 cm across in mature plants, roughly hairy, matt and clearly veined. This stiff, rough texture sets bugloss apart from the smooth-leaved hostas it is often paired with, and makes the mature leaves far less attractive to slugs. The stem leaves are smaller, stalkless and alternate. The flowers appear before the leaves reach full size, on loosely branched, upright stems: a single flower is 5–7 mm across, with five petals fused at the base into a short tube, a pure blue colour and a white eye at the centre — it is deceptively similar to a forget-me-not flower, from which it differs precisely in the colour of that eye (yellow in forget-me-nots). They are gathered in loose cymes that hover like a mist above the rosette of leaves from April to May; in cool springs the odd flower lingers into early June. The fruit is, as throughout the borage family, four nutlets. Leaf colour depends on the cultivar: the typical species has them uniformly dark green, while the cultivars have a silvery sheen between the green veins (Jack Frost, Looking Glass) or a creamy-white margin to the blade (Dawson's White, Hadspen Cream); a few cultivars, such as Betty Bowring, have white flowers instead of blue. The above-ground part dies back for winter and regrows in spring from the rhizome; the plant is fully frost-hardy and needs no protection in Polish conditions, with a recommended range of zones 3a–8b. It requires partial shade or shade and soil that is humus-rich, free-draining and steadily moderately moist; it tolerates a wide range of pH, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (pH 6.0–7.5). It does not tolerate drought — the leaf margins then turn brown and dry out, and the silvered and variegated cultivars react to this fastest. It is propagated by dividing the clump in early spring or early autumn, from root cuttings and — in the case of the typical species — from seed; in the silvered and variegated cultivars root cuttings can be unreliable and regrow with uniformly green leaves, so they are propagated by division or in tissue culture.
Popular cultivars
- ‘Jack Frost’
- The most popular cultivar and the point of reference for the whole silver-leaved group: a silvery blade with a distinct green network of veins and a narrow green margin. Height 30–40 cm. In 2012 chosen by the American Perennial Plant Association as its perennial of the year.
- ‘Looking Glass’
- A sport, that is a shoot mutation of the cultivar Jack Frost, with leaves almost uniformly silvery and only faintly marked veins. The brightest of the popular cultivars and at the same time the most sensitive to sun and drying out — for full shade only.
- ‘Silver Heart’
- As silvery as Jack Frost, but with a thicker, stiffer blade that better withstands water and heat stress. A sensible choice where the shade is not fully stable throughout the day.
- ‘Dawson’s White’
- A classic variegated cultivar with a broad, irregular creamy-white margin to the blade; also found in the trade under the name Variegata. It requires deep shade and constant moisture — in sun it scorches faster than any other cultivar. Prone to throwing out reverting shoots with green leaves, which must be cut off at the base.
- ‘Hadspen Cream’
- The margin is narrower and creamier than in Dawson's White, but the cultivar is markedly less prone to scorching of the leaf edges. Selected in the English garden of Hadspen House.
- ‘Betty Bowring’
- A rarely encountered cultivar with white flowers and ordinary green leaves — one of the few that break the blue colour of the species. Planted in collections rather than in typical borders.
Growing and care
Watering
It does not tolerate drying out — the first sign is browning and drying of the leaf margins, appearing soonest in the silvered and variegated cultivars. More effective than frequent watering is a permanent layer of mulch, which keeps moisture in the shallow root zone.
Fertilizing
A 2–3 cm layer of compost or composted leaves spread around the clump. Siberian bugloss needs no mineral fertilisers — the humus from the mulch is enough for it, just as in its natural woodland undergrowth.
Planting
Mix the top layer of soil with compost, plant at the same depth at which the plant grew in the container, and mulch with bark or leaves. Choose the position with high summer in mind, not spring: a spot shaded in April but exposed to the southern sun in July will not do — especially for the silvered cultivars.
Pruning
Cut spent flower stems back at the base — this improves the look of the clump and prevents self-seeding, which in the silvered and variegated cultivars produces seedlings with ordinary green leaves. Remove scorched or dried leaves one at a time through the summer; with severe damage the whole rosette can be cut down close to the ground, watered generously and mulched — the plant regrows with new leaves within 3–4 weeks. Clear away the withered leaves in late autumn or early spring, before the new shoots emerge.
Companion plants
Good companions
Klasyczne następstwo w cienistej rabacie: brunera kwitnie w kwietniu i maju, gdy funkia dopiero rozwija liście, a latem funkia przejmuje główną rolę. Obie wymagają tego samego — próchnicznej, stale wilgotnej gleby w półcieniu, a kontrast szorstkiej, matowej blaszki brunery z gładkim, woskowym liściem funkii jest dodatkową wartością.
Paproć rozwija pióropusz liści dokładnie wtedy, gdy brunera kończy kwitnienie — razem utrzymują cienistą rabatę pełną przez cały sezon. Pierzasty liść paproci jest najlepszym kontrastem dla dużej, sercowatej blaszki brunery.
Tawułka kwitnie od czerwca do sierpnia, czyli zaraz po brunerze, i ma identyczne wymagania: półcień, próchnica i stała wilgoć. Razem dają w cieniu ciągłość kwitnienia od kwietnia do końca lata.
Bad companions
Skrajnie przeciwne wymagania: lawenda potrzebuje pełnego słońca oraz suchej, przepuszczalnej gleby, a brunera cienia i stałej wilgoci. Na stanowisku dobrym dla lawendy liście brunery przypalają się w pierwsze upalne dni.
Barwinek tworzy zwarty, zimozielony kobierzec i rozrasta się płożącymi, ukorzeniającymi się pędami znacznie szybciej niż kępowa brunera. Posadzone na tej samej powierzchni po kilku sezonach barwinek zarasta kępy brunery, choć wymagania siedliskowe obu roślin są zbieżne.
The evidence level indicates whether the relationship is backed by research, observation, or gardening tradition.
Toxicity
| For whom | Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Humans | None | It is not classed among poisonous plants. It is not, however, an edible or herbal plant either — unlike its relatives borage and lungwort, it has no culinary or medicinal uses, and its rough, stiff hairiness makes the leaves inedible. |
| Dogs | Mild | The plant contains no known toxins, but eating a larger amount of the roughly hairy, stiff leaves can mechanically irritate the digestive tract. |
| Cats | Mild | As in dogs: no toxic action, only possible mechanical irritation of the digestive tract after eating the rough leaves. |
History and origin
The species comes from the Caucasus, where it grows in the moist undergrowth of the montane deciduous forests of Georgia, southern Russia and north-eastern Turkey. The genus name Brunnera was given in honour of Samuel Brunner (1790–1844), a Swiss physician and botanist from Bern. For decades the plant circulated through gardens and catalogues under other names: it was first described as a forget-me-not (Myosotis macrophylla), and in the horticultural trade it long went by the name of alkanet (Anchusa myosotidiflora). Both mistakes are understandable — the flower is almost identical to that of a forget-me-not, and the rough hairiness is typical of the whole borage family. To this day, too, the English common name 'Siberian bugloss' persists, although the species has nothing to do with Siberia. For most of its garden history Siberian bugloss was a background plant, valued solely for its early blue flowers. The turning point came when breeders shifted their attention from the flower to the leaf: from the variegated Dawson's White, through the more finely margined Hadspen Cream, to the silvered Jack Frost, chosen in 2012 by the American Perennial Plant Association as its perennial of the year. It was these cultivars that turned a modest woodland perennial into one of the most widely planted plants for shady borders.
Uses
Its primary use is as ground cover and for the front of borders in partial shade and shade: under trees and deciduous shrubs, along shaded paths, on the north side of buildings and walls, and in woodland and naturalistic gardens. Planted in groups of 3–7 at a spacing of 35–50 cm, it closes into a uniform carpet within two to three seasons, and its large, heart-shaped leaves are a clear counterpoint to the small and feathery leaves of ferns, astilbes or lady's mantle. The classic combination is bugloss with hosta: bugloss flowers and holds the border while the hosta is only just starting up, and in summer the roles reverse. In shade the silvered and variegated cultivars act as light — they brighten the darkest corners more effectively than white flowers, because they work all season rather than for three weeks. They must, however, be planted in true shade: in sun and with drying out they scorch at the margins faster than the green cultivars. Bugloss is also sometimes used as a cut flower in small spring posies, though the stems are delicate and short-lived in the vase. It is not, on the other hand, a plant for dry shade — under shallow-rooting trees such as birch, Norway maple or spruce it loses the fight for water and disappoints; in such places bloody cranesbill or epimedium will do better. Container cultivation is possible, but requires a sheltered, shaded position and daily checking of the soil moisture, because the shallow root system quickly dries out a small root ball.
Trivia
- The English common name 'Siberian bugloss' is misleading — Siberian bugloss comes from the Caucasus, not from Siberia. Interestingly, the genus Brunnera does contain a species the name would fit: Brunnera sibirica really does grow in Siberia.
- The rough, stiffly hairy leaves make a mature Siberian bugloss a distinctly less tempting morsel for slugs than hosta — which is why it is recommended as a hosta substitute in gardens plagued by slugs. The protection is not complete, however: the young spring leaves, before they harden, can be eaten away.
- The cultivar Looking Glass arose as a sport, that is a shoot mutation of the cultivar Jack Frost. Such mutations are not carried through seed, which is why all silvered and variegated buglosses are propagated only vegetatively — by division or from tissue culture.
- The species name macrophylla, meaning large-leaved, refers to the state in high summer, not to the flowering period. In April the leaves are still inconspicuous, and only after flowering do they grow to their full size, well over ten centimetres across — so the plant is at its most striking long after it has stopped flowering.
Frequently asked questions
How does Siberian bugloss differ from forget-me-not?
They are two different genera of the same borage family, with an almost identical flower shape — small, blue, five-petalled. The deciding feature is the eye at the centre of the flower: white in bugloss, yellow in forget-me-nots. Beyond the flower the differences are even clearer. Siberian bugloss is a long-lived perennial that stays in one place for well over a decade, has large, heart-shaped basal leaves and forms a dense clump in partial shade. The garden, or wood, forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica) is a biennial with narrow, small leaves: it flowers once, self-seeds abundantly and then dies, and in summer often becomes covered with mildew. The native water forget-me-not is indeed perennial, but grows in a different habitat — right at the water's edge, in permanently wet ground that bugloss does not need. The practical conclusion: the garden forget-me-not is planted for one showy season and left to self-seed, while bugloss is planted once and for years.
Why do the seedlings around my Jack Frost bugloss have ordinary green leaves?
Because they are not offshoots of the cultivar but self-sown seedlings. The silvery leaf pattern arose as a mutation and is not carried through seed — a sown seed produces a plant with leaves typical of the species, that is uniformly green. What is more, the seedlings grow more vigorously than the choice cultivar and after a few seasons can crowd it out of the clump. This is prevented by cutting off the spent flower stems before they set seed, and by weeding out young seedlings around the plant. The silvered and variegated cultivars are propagated only vegetatively: by dividing the clump or in tissue culture.
The leaf margins of my bugloss are turning brown and drying out — what is it?
It is not a disease but leaf scorch caused by too much sun or by the soil drying out, most often both at once. The silvered and cream-margined cultivars react fastest, because the paler leaf tissue is more sensitive. In the short term it is enough to cut off the damaged leaves, water thoroughly and mulch; with severe damage you can cut the whole rosette down to just above the ground — the plant will regrow with new leaves within 3–4 weeks, provided the moisture is maintained. If the symptom returns every year, the problem is the position and the plant should be moved into deeper shade.
Is bugloss suitable under trees, in dry shade?
No, and this is the most common cause of failure with this plant. Siberian bugloss comes from the moist undergrowth of montane forests and needs soil that is steadily moderately moist; dry shade under shallow-rooting trees — birch, Norway maple, spruce — means a simultaneous lack of light and water, which it will not tolerate. Under such trees, plants for dry shade will do well: bloody cranesbill or epimedium. Bugloss will cope under deep-rooting trees, with mulching and watering during drought.
Do slugs eat bugloss?
Far less than hosta, because the rough, stiffly hairy leaves of a mature plant are unappealing to them — which is why bugloss is recommended as a hosta substitute in gardens with high slug pressure. It is not, however, a completely resistant plant: in spring, before the young leaves harden, slugs can eat them away, especially in a moist, warm May. Ordinary prevention in that one period is enough — removing hiding places and collecting slugs around the freshly emerging clumps in the evening.
Sources
- Plants of the World Online (POWO) — Brunnera macrophyllaDatabase (GBIF, POWO…)
- RHS — Brunnera macrophyllaInstitution / botanical garden
- Missouri Botanical Garden — Plant Finder: Brunnera macrophyllaInstitution / botanical garden
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