to be cut back for the winter, but
should be pruned down in early spring.
If plants are floppy, cutting back before
the winter may be desirable since
more stems will fall with poor weather.
other maintenance Prefers
well-draining, moist, organic soil, but
will tolerate dry soil. Plants will be
shorter if grown in prolonged dry
conditions. Tolerates heat and
humidity. Can spread rapidly in moist,
sandy soil and will even fill a large area
(4 ft. × 4 ft.) in clay soil within about 5
years, but not invasively so in either
condition. May require staking. Divide
in the spring or fall every 4–5 years or
as needed to control spread.
Low-maintenance, problem-free plant.
related plantS Boltonia asteroides
‘Pink Beauty’ usually grows only about
3 1/2 ft. tall, but it can be leggy and flop.
Plants grown in part shade and cut
back by two-thirds in early June when
2 1/2 ft. tall flowered at 2 1/2 ft. but were
still a bit floppy.
Brunnera macrophylla
Siberian bugloss
boraginaceaeSmall, true-blue flowers; coarse,
heart-shaped leaves
12–18 in. high; 20 in. wide
Part shade–full shade
Blooms April–May
Zones 3–8
pruning Deadheading prevents
reseeding, which can be abundant in
moist locations but slim to none in dry
sites. Most seeding occurs at the baseof plant, and seedlings are easily
removed or transplanted. Deadhead
plants down to large basal foliage.
Plants should also be deadleafed to
remove foliage damaged by late-spring
frosts, hot sun, or drought. Siberian
bugloss can be cut back to the ground
to stimulate lush new foliage if the old
leaves start to decline severely in
midsummer (mid-July in Ohio). Plants
fill in nicely in about 3 weeks but will
not return to full size that season. Keep
plants moist after pruning. Brunnera
foliage blackens with frost. Cutting
back for the winter may be preferred.
other maintenance Plants prefer
moist organic soil, and this is essential
in southern areas. In northern gardens,
however, plants will tolerate someBoltonia asteroides ‘Snowbank’Brunnera macrophylla
‘Jack Frost’