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Lungwort
Pulmonaria
Also comes in blue, pink and white.
Lungwort blooms from March through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Lungwort
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 20 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Lungwort
Plant Lungwort in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from March to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Lungwort get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult20 inwideSee Lungwort in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Lungwort
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Lungwort about 20 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Lungwort to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Lungwort's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 14 published sources on July 31, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Heritage Perennials (perennials.com)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Heritage Perennials (perennials.com)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and years to mature size
- RHSPlant Profile: Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'height, spread, sun and years to mature size
- RHSPlant Profile: Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'height, spread, sun and years to mature size
- claireaustin-hardyplants.co.ukClaire Austin Hardy Plantsheight, spread and sun
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxhardiness zones and sun
- RHSGenus Guide: Pulmonariasun and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Lungwort
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Not certified safe: as a borage-family plant it carries pyrrolizidine alkaloids (hepatotoxic in quantity) and can cause stomach upset if eaten in large amounts. per NC State
Worth knowing
The flowers open pink and age through rose-violet to blue, so pink and blue blooms appear together on the very same cluster: the classic pink-and-blue look. per NC State and Clemson
Zone range varies by source
Most sources list zones 3a to 8b; Clemson (South Carolina) pushes it to 5 to 9. Its warm limit is set by summer heat and humidity, not winter cold. per NC State and Clemson
Grown for silver-spotted leaves
The real draw is the foliage: hairy leaves splashed with silver or white, sometimes so heavily spotted the leaf reads nearly solid silver. Often semi-evergreen, good spring to fall. per NC State
Powdery mildew, the common problem
Grayish-white patches on the leaves, brought on by both dry, drought-stressed soil and crowded, still air. Keep the soil evenly moist, space for airflow, and cut affected foliage back. per NC State and Iowa State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Both deer and rabbit resistant: the coarse, bristly-hairy leaves put browsers off, so it holds up in gardens where those animals graze. per NC State
Early-spring nectar for bees
Because it flowers when little else is open, the blooms are a valuable early food source for bees, flies and butterflies in late winter and early spring. per NC State
What pairs well with Lungwort
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Rhododendron
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early summer; both are strong pollinator plants; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Meadow Rue
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Wishbone Flower
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; lower at 10 in, for the front of the border.
Beautyberry
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Goatsbeard
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Spiderwort
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in early summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; echoes the purple.
Lobelia
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; both are strong pollinator plants; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; blooms in midsummer, extending the bed's season; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.
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