Pulmonaria--An Episode on "ER?"

During the Middle Ages, herbalists believed that any plant which bore a resemblance to a human organ was intended (by God, no less) for use in treating said organ. If this sounds like folks were playing fast and loose with herbs, in many cases they were. How do you think nightshade and foxglove become known as poisons? But then, it was the twelfth century, who knew ?

Apparently, there were some useful successes in health care (not to mention the occasional dead body.) Pulmonaria happened to provide one of the successes, and medieval physicians called it "lungwort". It does indeed bear striking resemblance to a human lung, and was used in teas, poultices and ointments to treat upper respiratory disorders.

It is also one of my favorite shade perennials. It's easy to grow, and thanks to renewed interest in it as a shade ornamental, there are loads of new colors and leaf forms on the market. Plant Delights Nursery carries quite afew, and the descriptions and photographs alone make their site worth bookmarking!! Scroll down the page to see them.

One of my regular garden cleaning tasks is removing dead or dying leaves from my pulmonarias and checking them for crown rot. By removing old plant material, you stimulate new leaf and root output. It seems to keep them happy.

Pulmonarias like cool roots, and deep shade where temperatures are hot. The best time to divide them is after they bloom in spring--they bloom and zoom, so be ready to divide them as soon as their blooms fade. I usually dig up the whole plant, with all its' roots, and soak it in a bucket of water until it is thoroughly saturated. Then the roots are easy to pull apart with your hands; each little root can be traced up to a patch of foliage and separated. I only do this every third year, so the divisions have time to fill out nicely.

Perennial companion plants to consider--- Lambs' Ears (Stachys); Artemisia; Helleborus; Lamiastrum (look out, it's a mint!)- Dicentra (Beedling Heart) Ferns, Hostas...

and, some annuals-- Impatiens, Cuban oregano -I really love this one! Also, caladiums (wonderful for foliage colors) and try ornamental kales and mustards (heck, break some rules!)

Would you like more information on pulmonarias? Here's a link to an article by horticultural professional Dan Heims, of Terra Nova Nursery.

http://www.terranovanurseries.com/pulmon...

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