Brunnera macrophylla

Commonly known as either Siberian bugloss or False Forget-me-not, Brunnera macrophylla is a valuable herbaceous perennial, forming a clump up to 45cm high, and a little more across. It produces broad sprays of small, intense-blue, star-shaped flowers. Technically, this plant is listed as flowering in April and May; in reality, however, it frequently flowers as early as February and as late as June. Along with the blooms come the large, heart-shaped, mid- to deep green leaves on long stalks. These leaves are every bit as attractive as the flowers, and look great planted next to other front-of-border foliage plants, including Hosta, Pulmonaria and Lamium.

Brunnera macrophylla is perfect for clothing moist, shady areas of the garden. In fact, it makes excellent groundcover, and mass plantings in flower are a spectacular sight. It looks very natural, at home in a wild, naturalistic garden, yet it is also highly ornamental, making it a must-have plant for either a formal garden with a herbaceous border, or a smaller mixed cottage-style plot. It is hugely versatile.