Pulmonaria Trevi Fountain - Lungwort

The Pulmonaria or 'Trevi Fountain' lungwort is renowned for its floriferousness and the length of its flowering period, among the longest for varieties with blue flowers. This spreading perennial forms a wider than tall clump, with beautiful elongated green foliage punctuated with silver spots. From March onwards, clusters of small intense blue flowers appear above the foliage, serving as a true showcase. Gradually spreading, this very hardy perennial forms superb carpets in partially shaded and cool locations. It is unparalleled for brightening up a woodland area and also forms beautiful patches of vegetation at the edge of large shrubs or trees.

The 'Trevi Fountain' hybrid lungwort is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the borage family, known through the various herbaceous species that adorn our gardens or populate our countryside and forests: Forget-me-nots, Comfrey, Brunnera, Borage, etc. 'Trevi Fountain' is a hybrid variety, derived among others from Pulmonaria longifolia, a plant widespread in northwestern and southwestern Europe, up to an altitude of 2000 m (6562ft). Perfectly hardy, it grows in woodlands and damp meadows, and is recognised by its very long leaves, which is why it is called longifolia. Its narrow, elongated foliage is about seven times longer than it is wide and marbled with silver-white patches.

These general characteristics can be found in the horticultural variety 'Trevi Fountain', named in honor of the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome. It forms a dense clump of long, pointed leaves, while the base is directly attached to the stem without the intermediate of a petiole (known as a sessile leaf). Ranging from medium to dark green, the leaf surface is irregularly maculated with silver-white spots. Ornamental, this foliage is semi-evergreen, persisting on the plant from February to November. The plant gradually spreads, forming a clump 30 cm (12in) in height and 40 cm (16in) or more in width, with a general ground cover habit, but with upright stems. From the month of March or April depending on the climate, small clusters of tightly packed flowers appear at the ends of the stems. Tubular at the base, their corolla opens trumpet-shaped at the tip and displays a magnificent cobalt blue colour. The flowering, which can last until May, is beautifully highlighted by the darker foliage, creating a superb contrast. Very floriferous, this variety is ideal for adding colour to a shaded area of the garden. The creeping rhizome of lungworts produces new leaf clumps after flowering, expanding the colony.

A perennial and extremely hardy, this 'Trevi Fountain' lungwort is perfect for enhancing a shaded border, at the edge of a tree trunk or even in a woodland. Combine it with other perennials and shrubs that share the same shade and moisture requirements to create an attractive scene all year round. In winter, the various species of Sarcococca with their evergreen foliage, usually dark green, will reward you with their highly fragrant white flowers. Also early in the season, the Daphne odora Aureomarginata is a small evergreen shrub with green leaves edged in yellow, and light pink flowers that perfume the garden in February and March. The rich range of Camellias will allow you to extend the flowering season into spring and even autumn and winter with C. sasanqua, with flowers that are all more beautiful than the others. And for summer, nothing beats Hydrangeas that offer an almost inexhaustible diversity of shapes and colours!

The name "lungwort" comes from the ancient theory of signatures, which held that plants resembled the diseases they were supposed to cure. In this case, it was pulmonary consumption (tuberculosis), as the leaf of the common lungwort has the shape of a lung and the spots on its surface could symbolize lung alveoli.