Leaf
David J. Stang, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Siberian bugloss
Brunnera macrophylla (Pall.) I.M.Johnst.
Also known as: Great forget-me-not
Family: Boraginaceae
30 to 45 cm tall
Shaded borders and light woodland, moist humus-rich soil
Flowering: April – June
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its heart-shaped foliage, sometimes entirely silvered in certain cultivars, stays decorative long after the spring flowering is over, unlike forget-me-not, to which it is often compared. The flowers of brunnera look very much like those of forget-me-not (hence its nickname 'large forget-me-not'), but its large, heart-shaped, often variegated leaves stay decorative long after flowering, whereas forget-me-not has narrow, lanceolate leaves of no ornamental interest once flowering has finished.
🍃 Leaves
Heart-shaped, large, often variegated with white or silver depending on the cultivar, decorative for much of the year
🌸 Flowers
Small, blue, star-shaped with five petals, very similar to those of forget-me-not, borne in light clusters on slender stems
🍎 Fruits
Small dry nutlet, not ornamental
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous plant
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the Caucasus and Eastern Europe
🐝 Value for pollinators
Early flowering, useful to the first bees of spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Ground cover for shaded borders, often combined with hostas and ferns for its decorative foliage
🌱 Known cultivars
'Jack Frost'
The cultivar 'Jack Frost' is instantly recognisable by its almost entirely silvered foliage veined with green, very different from the plain green heart-shaped foliage of the species.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Siberian bugloss
Brunnera macrophylla
Water forget-me-not
Myosotis scorpioides
The flowers of brunnera look very much like those of forget-me-not (hence its nickname 'large forget-me-not'), but its large, heart-shaped, often variegated leaves stay decorative long after flowering, whereas forget-me-not has narrow, lanceolate leaves of no ornamental interest once flowering has finished.
🌿 Other Boraginaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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