Silver Scimitar Lungwort

Silver Scimitar Lungwort (Pulmonaria 'Silver Scimitar') captivates with long, elegantly arching, strap-like leaves in a distinctive blade shape that gives this cultivar its evocative name. The foliage is broadly splashed and spotted in cool silver-white over deep green in a bold, loose pattern that reads as dramatically decorative from a distance while revealing intricate, painterly detail up close. In early spring, clusters of charming tubular flowers in soft pink transitioning to blue-violet provide one of the first — and most welcome — floral displays of the shade garden season, drawing in early foraging bees before most other plants have stirred from winter dormancy.

Cultivated from Professional Grade root systems, Silver Scimitar offers a distinctly different foliage character from other Pulmonaria selections — the longer, more strap-like, arching leaf shape creates a graceful, flowing texture in the shade border that contrasts beautifully with the rounder, more mounding forms of companion shade plants. This architectural quality makes it particularly effective when planted in loose drifts along woodland path edges, beneath open-canopy trees, and as a weed-suppressing groundcover layer under deciduous shrubs. Its mildew-resistant constitution ensures clean, attractive foliage through the full growing season.

Why You'll Love It

• Distinctive Arching Blade-Shaped Foliage: Elegantly long, strap-like, arching leaves boldly splashed and spotted in silver-white over deep green create a flowing, architectural foliage texture that differs markedly from rounder-leaved Pulmonaria varieties — a sophisticated and graceful presence in the shade border.
• Painterly Silver Spotting Pattern: Bold, loosely scattered silver-white spots and splashes over deep green read as dramatically decorative from across the garden while revealing beautifully intricate, natural patterning when viewed up close.
• Bicolor Spring Flowers: Pink buds opening to blue-violet tubular blooms create a charming two-tone floral display in early spring — among the season's earliest shade garden flowers and a critical early nectar source for emerging bumblebees and pollinators.
• Mildew-Resistant Clean Foliage: Selected for improved mildew resistance, delivering healthy, attractive foliage through summer heat without the unsightly powdery mildew that can affect older Pulmonaria varieties in warm or humid conditions.
• Flowing Groundcover Texture: The long, arching leaf habit creates a graceful, layered groundcover texture along shaded path edges, beneath deciduous shrubs, and in loose woodland drifts — an elegant, weed-suppressing foliage layer with genuine architectural distinction.

These 4" healthy live plants thrive in part shade to full shade in consistently moist, humus-rich, well-draining soil. Consistent moisture is important — avoid prolonged drought, especially in summer. Afternoon shade is beneficial in warmer climates to prevent leaf scorch and maintain vibrant silver foliage patterns. Best suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 3–8. Mature height: 12–16 inches; spread: 18–24 inches. Blooms early spring. Remove any tired or mildewed foliage in midsummer; the plant will respond with a fresh flush of clean new leaves through fall. Divide established clumps every 3–4 years in early spring or fall to maintain vigor.