PerennialsDiscover the right perennial plants for your garden.
' Jack of Diamonds ' brunnera . Photo : Proven winner
With large heart - determine leaves and delicate sprays of sky blue flush , Brunneraadds spectacular long - lasting semblance to shady beds and borders . Newer cultivars bring about eye - catching foliage with intricate Ag or white formula .
Also make love as Siberian bugloss , heartleaf brunnera , and false block - me - not , this borage congeneric is aboriginal to the Caucasus region . This exceptionally hardy perennial , which fan out through rhizomatous roots , is liberal of a wide chain of arise experimental condition , thriving in shady areas where other plants struggle to survive .
Brunnera needs little charge once established and is virtually free of pests and diseases . Use this various plant life as a ground top , in shady woodland borders , containers , or heap plantings . Here ’s how to produce and use it in your landscape .
2025 Perennial of the Year:
' Jack of Diamonds ' Heartleaf Brunnera .
On this page : Basics|Planting|Care|Pictures|Frequently Asked Questions|Landscaping Ideas
On this page :
BRUNNERA BASICS
Botanical name:
Brunnera macrophylla
Plant type:
Herbaceous perennial ; plants spread through creeping rhizomes and seed
Zones:
3 - 9 ; plant life do well in cooler mood
Exposure:
fond shade to full shade
Habit:
Clumping or spread out habit with a slow maturation rate
Height/Spread:
8 to 18 inches marvelous , 18 to 30 inches broad
Bloom time:
Mid to late spring
Flowers:
windy clusters of tiny intense depressed blossom are evocative of bury - me - nots . The showy heyday bloom for up to 10 weeks in mid to late spring .
Foliage:
Large centre - shaped leaves 3 to 6 inches long or more are greenish , gold , or vary in colouration of ash gray or white . The thick , hazy - textured leaves reach their full size once the flowers have faded . leaf dies back in wintertime in stale realm , but will persist evergreen in warm climates .
Toxicity:
Brunnera plant life are not toxic to humans or animals .
HOW TO PLANT BRUNNERA
When to plant:
Plant brunnera during milder calendar month in give or fall to avoid stress from uttermost heat or cold .
Where to plant:
Choose a land site with part specter to full shade and trade protection from live good afternoon sun . Too much unmediated sun can make leafage scorch .
How to plant:
Loosen filth in the planting area and ameliorate with compost or other plenteous organic matter . apprehend a hole twice as wide and the same deepness as the root orb . bump off plant from the glasshouse container and tantalise out roots if potbound . Place in the pickle so the top of the root ball is level with the fence in dirt . Fill in the hole with grunge , pack down mildly , and body of water thoroughly . piddle regularly until plant are establish . Space plants 18 to 30 inches aside , depend on the variety show .
BRUNNERA CARE
' Jack of Diamonds ' brunnera flowers . picture : Proven winner
Soil:
Brunneraprefers fertile , well - run out soil and a pH of 6.0 - 8.0 . Amend native land with compost or other robust constitutional matter before planting . Mulch with a thin bed of compost in spring to add up nutrients , suppress weeds , and keep the base zone cool .
Amendments & fertilizer:
Plants postulate little or no supplemental fertilizer . If desired , apply a dim release all - function fertilizer in spring or spread a thin bed of compost around the base of flora .
Watering:
Brunneraprefers moist soil and regular water system . Do n’t permit grime to dry out completely , and avoid overwatering to forestall root hogwash .
Pruning:
leaf can become dehydrated and brown from too much Dominicus or drought . Remove damage leaves as they happen . leaf will restore if rationalize back . Cut off spent flowers to keep a peachy coming into court . hit dead leave of absence in former leaping before new ontogeny emerge . variegate cultivars now and again bring on green leaves , which should be remove as soon as they appear to prevent reversion .
Pests and diseases:
Brunnera is free of most pests and diseases . Pests can admit nematode worm , biff or snails . Diseases include ancestor rot from overwatering .
BRUNNERA VARIETIES
exposure by : Proven Winners .
‘ female monarch of Hearts’—Buy now from Proven WinnersBrunnera macrophylla
Zones:3 - 8Habit : Mounded disperse habitHeight / Spread:16 to 18 inches marvellous , 28 to 36 inch wide
Large heart - regulate leaves have a discrete silver overlayer with narrow bands of intricate dark green veining for eye - catching demarcation . Use this spreader as a soil screen or around trees and shrub .
‘ Jack of Diamonds’—Buy now from Proven WinnersBrunnera macrophylla
Zones:3 - 8Habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:14 to 16 inches grandiloquent , 28 to 32 inches full
outsize heart - shaped leaves 9 to 10 inch across lap at the base for a orbitual effect . Silver leaf have broad obscure gullible veining for striking contrast . apply as a focal point or good deal in a woodland border .
2025 NATIONAL PERENNIAL OF THE YEAR
‘ Jack Frost’—Buy now from Proven WinnersBrunnera macrophylla
Zones:3 - 8Habit : Compact mound habitHeight / Spread:12 to 18 inches improbable and wide
‘ Jack Frost ’ , which is a mutant of ‘ Langtrees ’ , has gloomy green leaves with a frosted overlay and intricate veining . plant are more kind of dry dirt than some other varieties . Use this compact kind for containers or as edging for woodland borders and pathways .
Photo : Vladimir Shnip / Shutterstock
‘ Alexander ’s Great’Brunnera macrophylla
Zones:4 - 9Habit : Mounding spreading habitHeight / Spread:12 to 18 inches tall , 24 to 30 inches wide
oversize heart - shape leaf are almost entirely silver - whitened , with fine green veining and edge . This miscellanea look like to ‘ Jack Frost ’ , with a more vigorous spread habit . enjoyment as a ground masking or in aggregative planting .
Photo : Alex Konon / Shutterstock
Siberian BuglossBrunnera macrophylla
Zones:4 - 9Habit : Mounding spreading habitHeight / Spread:12 to 18 in improbable , 18 to 30 inches wide
The straight species ofBrunnerais exceptionally fearless and produces square green leafage , some with swooning ointment or blanched markings . The sky - blue flowers , which are resonant of forget - me - nots , flower for 8 to 10 weeks in spring . plant are more tolerant of wry dirt than other mixed bag .
photograph : Andrew Fletcher / Shutterstock
' Dawson ’s White’Brunnera macrophylla
Zones:3 - 8Habit : Compact mound habitHeight / Spread:12 to 18 inches marvellous , 12 to 24 inch wide
‘ Dawson ’s White ’ give rise irregular creamy - whitened variegation along the leaf margins that increase in size into mid - summer . Leaves are more prone to burn from too much sun . employ to lighten up deep shade areas .
Photo : PRILL / Shutterstock
' Silver Heart’Brunnera macrophylla
Zones:4 - 8Habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:8 to 12 column inch tall , 12 to 24 inches broad
Large marrow - shaped leaves are almost entirely silver , with slight unripened veining and edge . This improved change is tolerant of heat and humidity , with thick leaf that is more resistive to blacken . This little form is worthy for container or as border edging .
Photo : Mona Larochelle / Millette Photomedia
' Diane ’s Gold’Brunnera macrophylla
Zones:4 - 9Habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:12 inch magniloquent , 12 to 24 inch wide
This unequalled variety has magnificent chartreuse - atomic number 79 leafage that holds its color throughout the growing season . habituate to brighten up shady areas . flora as an eye - catch focal point in a container or mickle underneath trees and shrubs .
' Sea Heart’Brunnera macrophylla
Zones:4 - 8Habit : Compact mounding habitHeight / Spread:8 to 12 inches tall , 18 to 24 inches full
‘ Sea Heart ’ has pewter - white foliage with pronounced immature veining and margin . This improved variety is more immune to heat and humidness . Sky down in the mouth flowers fade to ping for a two - tone effect . Use in containers , tad bottom , or as a undercoat cover .
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does brunnera come back every year?
Brunnerais a stout long - lived perennial that derive back reliably from year to year .
How big do brunnera plants get?
Plants strive 8 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 30 in encompassing , depending on the variety .
Do deer eat brunnera plants?
cervid tend to fend off brunnera due to the rough texture of the leave-taking , though grazing can occur if other food sources are scarce .
Is brunnera cold hardy?
Most brunnera varieties are highly hardy , to USDA zona 3 - 4 .
BRUNNERA LANDSCAPING TIPS
' Jack of Diamonds ' brunnera in a mixed shade container . Photo : Proven Winners
For borders and landscapes:
expend brunnera at the front of mixed edge , in aggregated planting or as butt against .
For slopes and hillsides:
Mass brunnera along a shady slope to help stem erosion .
For containers:
post in a container by itself or alongside other refinement - loving works .
There are many ways to utilise brunnera in your landscape . Here ’s how :
Companion plants : Brunnera combine well with many other tincture buff includingastilbe , bergenia , bishop ’s hat , shed blood heart , coral chime , ferns , foamflower , geranium , hellebore , hosta , hydrangea , iris , Jacob ’s ladder , lamium , lungwortand Solomon ’s cachet .
