Add A Touch Of Whimsy To A Cottage Garden With A Flowering Perennial That Keeps Blooming Every Year

Curating the perfect cottage garden can take years of work. However, once your perennials have settled in and you have picked the right self-seeding annuals, it can become a low-maintenance wonder. Cottage gardens are defined by nostalgic charm — full of dainty plants and blooming classics. A great flowering perennial that you can add is lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.). With its delicate blooms in hues of lavender, white, blue, and pink, lungwort brings whimsical, storybook vibes to any garden. The flowers will come back every spring and can change color throughout each season. However, it is not just the blooms that make lungwort an appealing plant. Its broad leaves, mottled with white or silver markings, add a new layer of texture to your yard. 

There are quite a few varieties of lungwort that you can pick from, but the two main ones used in gardens are Pulmonaria saccharata and Pulmonaria longifolia because of their hardiness and low-maintenance. Both of these varieties are tolerant of shade, thriving in places where the sun just doesn't touch. However, there are even more cultivars to explore within these two varieties! From Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' with bright blue blooms, to the stunning pink flowers of Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Splash', there will be a type of lungwort that is perfect for you and your cottage garden. 

Lungwort can be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 8 and thrives in moist, organically rich soils. However, it is pretty tolerant of most soils as long as they drain effectively. As a perennial that grows perfectly in the shade, it is best to place your lungwort away from direct, full sunlight, as this can affect its foliage. If your only free space is in the sunshine and you want to bring this charming plant into your garden, you will need to ensure that the soil stays moist throughout the hotter months. When picking a spot for your lungwort, try to give it around 1 to 3 feet of space. This will allow it to establish itself and grow to its mature size.

When planting your lungwort into your garden, add compost, manure, or peat moss into the soil to help it settle in and get growing. This will also help the soil stay moist, which is essential for this bloomer. Once you have planted your lungwort, water it consistently for the first few weeks as it develops its root systems. 

In terms of ongoing care, lungwort is pretty low-maintenance as long as the soil stays moist. If the foliage starts to look brown and withered during high heat, you can trim the leaves back to promote new, healthy growth. As the years go by and your lungwort grows, you may wish to divide it if it is looking too overcrowded. If you divide this perennial in the fall, you can enjoy additional blooms the following spring.