Preferences:

European perennial is 8" - 1' tall with a mounding habit. It prefers full to partial shade in moist and cool soil of average fertility.

Cultural Practices:

Propagation: Generally through division in fall as the plants flower very early in spring. Seeds will not come true.

Culture: No pests, but they must be cut back in the fall. They grow very quickly in the spring. If you hadn't cutback the leaves from the fall though and you try to cut them back in the spring you will cut the emerging leaves but more importantly their hairs act as fiberglass coming loose and stick into the skin and are difficult to remove.

Landscape Value:

Common Cultivars: Hybrids - 'Roy Davidson' small long and narrow foliage, 'Excalibur' a little more difficult to find is all silver leaves with a dark green margin, mildew resistance rosy purple flowers.

Pulmonaria longifolia 'E B Anderson' good foliage through the summer but the flowers are about 2 weeks later than most.

Pulmonaria rubra 'David Ward' deep coral-red flowers appearing as early as late April, the foliage though is green but does have ruffles.

Pulmonaria saccharata 'Argentea' almost totally silver, 'Sissinghurst White' large white flowers.