Ornamental · Boraginaceae
Brunnera
Brunnera macrophylla
Tuck it into a shady, evenly moist spot and Brunnera pays you back, brightening gloomy corners with frosted silver foliage and a haze of little blue blooms each spring.
Partial shade
USDA 3–8
12–18 in · 30–46 cm
Overview
Brunnera really shines in the shade, where those big heart-shaped leaves keep the show going long after the flowers are gone. It's part of the borage family, you might know it as Siberian bugloss, and it's a clump-forming perennial that spreads slowly from a creeping rhizome. Early in spring it sends up airy sprays of little blue flowers that look so much like forget-me-nots it picked up the nickname false forget-me-not.
Honestly, the foliage is the real reason to grow it. The species is plain green, but the popular kinds wear silver frosting, bright veins, or creamy white edges that catch whatever light makes it into a shady bed. It stays low, around 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall, and slowly widens into a tidy little mound that looks great next to hostas and ferns.
Once it's settled in, it doesn't ask for much. Brunnera wants shade, rich soil, and water it can count on, and it shrugs off both deer and rabbits like they're nothing. The one thing it won't put up with? Heat and drought, which scorch the leaf edges brown and leave the whole plant looking tired by midsummer.
Care
The short version: part to full shade out of that hot afternoon sun, soil kept evenly moist and never bone dry, and rich ground with a layer of mulch to hold the moisture in and keep the roots cool.
Light
Brunnera's a true shade plant, so give it part to full shade with some cover from the hot afternoon sun. Direct light scorches the leaves and washes out their color, which is the last thing you want. A dappled spot under some trees is just about perfect.
Water
Keep the soil consistently and evenly moist, because Brunnera really won't tolerate dry ground. A layer of mulch holds that moisture in and keeps the roots cool, and that matters most when summer heat rolls in.
Soil
Plant it in fertile, organically rich loam that drains well but still holds onto moisture. It's not fussy about pH and takes anywhere from 6.0 to 8.0, so most garden beds with a bit of compost worked in will do just fine.
Humidity
Regular garden humidity is totally fine, so there's no number to hit here. What Brunnera can't handle is hot, humid summers, the kind you get in the deep South, where that combo just wears the plant out.
Feeding
Feed it lightly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer, or honestly, just work some compost and organic matter into the soil each spring. Rich ground keeps the leaves full, and that's pretty much all this plant asks for.
Pruning
Tidy up scorched or ragged leaves whenever they show up, and cut back the spent flower stems once the blue blooms are done. Then in late fall or early spring, cut the old foliage right down to the ground so fresh growth can come through.
Size & spacing
Plants get to about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall and slowly spread 18 to 30 inches (46 to 76 cm) wide. Give each clump that kind of room and it'll fill in into a neat little ground-covering mound.
When to plant
Brunnera's a perennial, so once it's in the ground there's no replanting it every year. Just set out new plants or divisions in spring or fall while the weather's mild, then keep an eye out for the blue flowers from early to mid-spring before the foliage takes over for the rest of the season.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Usually propagated by division rather than seed; sow indoors is not typical.
- Plant: Plant in spring or fall during mild weather to avoid heat or cold stress.
- Harvest: Blooms early to mid-spring (about April to May), sometimes into early summer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Brunnera doesn't give you much grief, and when something does go wrong it usually comes back to too much sun or not enough water. Keep an eye on the leaf edges and the foliage in high summer, since that's where you'll spot the first signs. Find what matches below and step in before it spreads.
Whole plant flagging when the weather turns hot and sticky
Brunnera just isn't a fan of hot, humid weather, the kind you get all over the deep South, and it can sulk anywhere summers run warm. Give it deep shade and steady water through the hottest stretch, and pile on the mulch to keep those roots cool. It's really at its happiest in zones 3 to 8, so honestly, a cooler and shadier spot is the surest way to turn things around.
Fix:
- Provide deep shade and consistent soil moisture in summer
- Mulch heavily to cool soil
- Grow in cooler microclimates or northern zones where possible
Crunchy brown rims on leaves that look bleached out
Seeing crispy edges and pale leaves? That's leaf scorch, and it usually means too much hot sun or soil that dried out when the heat hit. Move the plant somewhere shadier, into part to full shade where the afternoon sun can't get at it, keep the soil evenly moist, and add mulch to lock that moisture in. Snip off the worst leaves and you'll get fresh ones coming up to replace them.
Fix:
- Move or transplant to part to full shade with afternoon shade
- Keep soil consistently moist
- Mulch to cool and conserve soil moisture
- Remove badly scorched leaves to encourage fresh growth
Leaves riddled with chewed holes and glossy trails
Holes in the leaves with shiny trails next to them? You've got slugs and snails, and they love the same damp shade Brunnera does. The easiest fix is to head out at dusk and pick them off by hand. Clear away the wet mulch and leaf litter they hide under too, and if they're stubborn, a bit of iron phosphate bait does the trick.
Fix:
- Handpick slugs and snails in the evening
- Reduce excess moisture and remove debris hiding spots
- Use iron phosphate slug bait if needed
Toxicity
Good news if you've got pets or kids: Brunnera is not toxic. It's not on the ASPCA's list of plants that are dangerous to cats or dogs, and there's no known hazard to other animals or to people either. So go ahead and plant it freely in a garden the whole family shares.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
If a curious cat goes sniffing around the leaves, that's fine, since Brunnera isn't on the ASPCA's toxic list and won't do any harm.
Dogs None
And if a dog grabs a quick bite of a leaf? No problem here, because there's no toxin in it that affects them.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze right nearby and there's no poisoning risk to worry about.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits mostly leave it be, but if one does take a nibble, it won't hurt them at all.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse it without trouble, though it's not something they usually bother with.
Birds Safe
It's safe around birds too, with no toxic seeds or foliage to think twice about.
People Safe
There's nothing toxic in it to worry about when you're handling it or growing it around kids. It's an ornamental and not food, though, so there's no reason anyone would want to eat it.
Varieties
Most folks grow Brunnera for the named foliage selections rather than the plain green species, and these are the ones you'll bump into most.
Jack Frost
You'll spot it by the frosted silver leaves with green veins and a thin green edge, on a plant that's about 12 to 15 inches tall.
Looking Glass
Its heart-shaped leaves go almost fully metallic silver, with hardly any green left to notice.
Variegata
It's got green leaves with wide creamy white edges at about 12 to 15 inches tall, and it really wakes up a shady corner.
Alexander's Great
This is the big one, with large silvered leaves edged and veined in green that reach roughly 12 to 18 inches.
How to propagate
Brunnera makes more of itself the easy way, by splitting up an established clump instead of messing around with seed.
DivisionEasy
Divide clumps in early spring or fall. · Usually establishes within one growing season.
Want more Brunnera? It spreads from a rhizome, so the easy route is just to split a clump. Dig it up in early spring or fall, pull the rhizomes apart, and pop the pieces back in, and each one settles in within a single growing season. One heads-up though: patented cultivars can't be legally propagated, so check the name before you start dividing.
Myths
Brunnera is just another forget-me-not.
Sure, the flowers look the part, and one of its common names really is false forget-me-not. But Brunnera macrophylla is its own thing, a rhizomatous perennial in the borage family. People grow it for those big heart-shaped leaves, not because it's a true Myosotis.
Brunnera has to sit in bright sun all day to do well.
Nope, this one's a shade plant all the way. It wants part to full shade with cover from that hot afternoon sun, and here's the thing: too much sun scorches the leaves instead of helping the flowers along.