Ornamental · Boraginaceae
Brunnera
Brunnera macrophylla
Hand it shade and steady moisture, and Brunnera fires up the dark corners with silvered leaves and tiny blue spring flowers.
Partial shade
USDA 3–8
12–18 in · 30–46 cm
Overview
Brunnera turns a dull shady patch into a payoff, where its big heart-shaped leaves keep the show rolling long after the flowers fade. It belongs to the borage family, answers to Siberian bugloss, and builds a clump-forming perennial that creeps along on a spreading rhizome. Come early spring it shoots up airy sprays of small blue flowers that mimic forget-me-nots so well it grabbed the name false forget-me-not.
The foliage is where it really earns its spot. The species runs plain green, but the popular kinds flash silver frosting, bright veins, or creamy white edges that grab every scrap of light that sneaks into a shady bed. It stays low, around 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall, and steadily widens into a tidy mound that plays beautifully off hostas and ferns.
Once it digs in, it barely asks for a thing. Brunnera wants shade, rich soil, and water it can count on, and it laughs off both deer and rabbits. The one thing that trips it up is heat and drought, which scorch the leaf edges brown and leave it dragging by midsummer, so keep it cool and shady and it powers right along.
Care
The short version: part to full shade clear of the hot afternoon sun, soil kept evenly moist and never bone dry, and rich ground packed with mulch to hold the moisture and keep the roots cool.
Light
Brunnera is a true shade plant, so set it up in part to full shade with cover from the hot afternoon sun. Direct light scorches the leaves and bleaches out their color, so steer clear of it. A dappled spot under trees lets it really hit its stride.
Water
Keep the soil consistently and evenly moist, because Brunnera flat out won't take dry ground. A layer of mulch traps that moisture and keeps the roots cool, and that pays off most when summer heat cranks up.
Soil
Plant it in fertile, organically rich loam that drains well but still holds steady moisture. It rolls with a wide pH range, anywhere from 6.0 to 8.0, so most garden beds with a shot of compost will do the job.
Humidity
Regular garden humidity works fine, so there's no number to chase. What Brunnera can't take is hot, humid summers, the kind that hammer the deep South, where the combo grinds the plant down.
Feeding
Feed it lightly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer, or just dig compost and organic matter into the soil each spring. Rich ground keeps the foliage pumping, and that's most of what this plant ever wants.
Pruning
Clip off scorched or ragged leaves as they crop up, and cut back the spent flower stems once the blue blooms wrap. In late fall or early spring, hack the old foliage down to the ground to clear the runway for fresh growth.
Size & spacing
Plants shoot to about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall and steadily spread 18 to 30 inches (46 to 76 cm) wide. Give each clump that elbow room and it fills right in into a neat, ground-covering mound.
When to plant
Brunnera runs as a perennial, so plant it once and skip the yearly redo. Drop new plants or divisions in the ground in spring or fall while the weather stays mild, then watch for the blue flowers to pop from early to mid-spring before the foliage grabs the spotlight 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 hardly ever throws a curveball, and what does go sideways nearly always loops back to too much sun or too little water. Keep your eyes on the leaf edges and the foliage in high summer, since that's where the first signs flare up. Match what you spot below and jump on it before the damage spreads.
Plant slumping and losing steam in high summer heat
Brunnera digs its heels in against hot, humid weather, the kind that bakes the deep South, and it can sag anywhere summers turn up the heat. Hand it deep shade and steady moisture through the toughest weeks, then mulch hard to keep those roots cool. It hits full stride in zones 3 to 8, so park it in a cooler, shadier spot and watch it bounce back.
Fix:
- Provide deep shade and consistent soil moisture in summer
- Mulch heavily to cool soil
- Grow in cooler microclimates or northern zones where possible
Toasted brown edges and color draining from the leaves
Crispy edges and faded color mean leaf scorch, the plant's quick signal that the sun got too hot or the soil baked dry. Shift it into part to full shade, well clear of that afternoon blaze, keep the soil evenly moist, and mulch to lock that moisture down. Snip off the worst leaves and watch fresh growth charge right back in to take their place.
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
Munched-out holes and gleaming trails across the foliage
Holes punched through the leaves with shiny trails alongside? That's slugs and snails crashing the damp shade Brunnera loves. Head out at dusk and grab them by hand, the fastest win there is. Rake out the wet mulch and leaf litter they bunker down in, and toss out a bit of iron phosphate bait if they keep storming back.
Fix:
- Handpick slugs and snails in the evening
- Reduce excess moisture and remove debris hiding spots
- Use iron phosphate slug bait if needed
Toxicity
Great news for pet owners and parents: Brunnera is not toxic. It never shows up on the ASPCA's list of plants dangerous to cats or dogs, and there's no known hazard to other animals or to people. Go ahead and plant it freely in a garden full of pets and kids.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Let a curious cat poke around the leaves all it likes, since Brunnera skips the ASPCA's toxic list and does no harm.
Dogs None
A dog that snags a leaf has nothing to fear, because the plant packs no toxin that affects them.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze right alongside it with zero poisoning risk.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits mostly breeze past Brunnera, and a stray bite still leaves them perfectly fine.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse it safely, even though it rarely catches their eye.
Birds Safe
Birds are in the clear too, with no toxic seeds or foliage in the mix.
People Safe
No toxic compounds here, so handling it and growing it around kids is a breeze. It's an ornamental, not food, so nobody has any reason to eat it.
Varieties
Most gardeners chase Brunnera for the named foliage selections rather than the plain green species, and these are the ones you'll run into most.
Jack Frost
Look for frosted silver leaves zipped with green veins and a slim green rim, riding a plant about 12 to 15 inches tall.
Looking Glass
Its heart-shaped leaves blaze almost pure metallic silver, with barely a flicker of green left.
Variegata
Bold creamy white edges wrap its green leaves at about 12 to 15 inches tall and fire up a shady corner.
Alexander's Great
This one goes big, throwing up large silvered leaves rimmed and veined in green that climb to roughly 12 to 18 inches.
How to propagate
Brunnera multiplies the easy way, by splitting an established clump instead of wrestling with seed, and it's one of the most satisfying jobs in the shade garden.
DivisionEasy
Divide clumps in early spring or fall. · Usually establishes within one growing season.
Cranking out more Brunnera is a thrill, since it runs on a creeping rhizome and a clump splits in a flash. Dig it up in early spring or fall, snap the rhizomes apart, and replant the pieces, and each one digs in within a single growing season. Quick flag before you go: patented cultivars can't be legally propagated, so check the name before you divide.
Myths
Brunnera is just another forget-me-not.
The flowers sure mimic one, and false forget-me-not is right there in its common names, but Brunnera macrophylla stands on its own as a rhizomatous perennial in the borage family. The big heart-shaped leaves are the real prize gardeners chase, not any link to a true Myosotis.
Brunnera only hits its stride and flowers in a full-sun bed.
Forget the sunny bed, because this plant runs on shade. It thrives in part to full shade with cover from the hot afternoon sun, and too much sun scorches the leaves instead of pushing the bloom.