Once every couple of weeks I get an email from Terra Nova, the innovative plant breeder and wholesaler that has enriched the gardening world with scores of new, colorful garden perennials. The most recent email announced the arrival of ‘Alexandria’, a new variety of Brunnera macrophylla or false forget-me-not.
Common forget-me-nots or Myosotis scorpioides are spring-blooming members of the borage genus, many of which produce flowers that are among the clearest true-blue in the horticultural world. Both forget-me-nots and false forget-me-nots sport five-petaled flowers in shades that I think of as being closest to sky blue. Forget-me-nots sit atop slender, somewhat hairy stems adorned with small, narrow leaves. Their false forget-me-not cousins have the added attraction of large heart-shaped leaves that may be solid green or variegated with white, silver or cream. The flowers are lovely, and a welcome spring sight, but it is that foliage that gives the plant real value.
Years ago I bought a single false forget-me-not plant to complement all the common ones in my garden. The young brunnera thrived in a shady patch and I have since divided it many times. This ease of division is another virtue and one that allows cost conscious gardeners to create the kind of repetition recommended by pundits.
Sometimes also known as “viper’s bugloss” or “Siberian bugloss”, false forget-me-not does not hail from Siberia at all. Plant hunters found it somewhere in its native range, which includes Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains, extending as far south as Iran and Palestine. Maggie Campbell-Culver, in her estimable book, The Origin of Plants, puts its discovery at 1713. Plant taxonomists originally christened the plant Anchusa myosotidiflora, placing it in the same genus as a blue-flowered relative. Later it was given its own genus, which was named in honor of Samuel Brunner, a nineteenth century Swiss botanist.
My original false forget-me-not was a classic variety, ‘Jack Frost’, so named because of the frosty overlay on each heart-shaped leaf. The veins and leaf edges are green; the rest is white, which really stands out in the garden and makes a nice contrast with the blue flower sprays. ‘Jack Frost’ is typical of the brunnera clan. It is a relatively low-grower, rising to a maximum height of eighteen inches and expanding to an equal width. The leaves form a rounded clump and last from spring emergence to fall’s hard frosts.
‘Jack Frost’ proved to be so reliable, hardy and beautiful that the Perennial Plant Association named it the “Plant of the Year” for 2012.
Similar to ‘Jack Frost’, ‘Looking Glass’ is even whiter, with metallic, pale coloring extending from edge to edge of each leaf, and only thin green veins to breaking the snowy cover. For more of the same on a grand scale, try ‘Alexander’s Great’, discovered by plantsman Alexander Zukeivich in his Belarus garden and introduced by Terra Nova. The leaves are about twice the size of those on normal brunnera and a mature clump may spread more than two feet. Terra Nova’s new ‘Alexandria’ has the same hefty dimensions and white overlay as ‘Alexander’s Great’, but with more green veination.
I am planning to add to my store of false forget-me-nots with the addition of ‘Hadspen Cream’, which sports irregular leaf edges of white or cream. ‘Dawson’s White’ has a similar look. For even more brightness in semi-shaded spaces, try ‘Diane’s Gold’, with golden green foliage. ‘Lantrees’, sometimes known as ‘Silver Spot’ is bedecked with a pattern of distinctive white spots on each leaf.
In my garden, false forget-me-nots bloom just a little later than their common cousins. They can tolerate sun, but seem to prefer light shade and well-drained soil. Once established, the plants withstand some drought as well, and require very little maintenance. Deer and rabbits will generally ignore the flashy leaves. The most dangerous moments may occur when Mr. Antlers and his kin walk on your brunnera on their way to tastier specimens.
Container gardeners can take pleasure in the fact that false forget-me-nots thrive in pots. I use mine as edgers so that their beautiful leaves are front and center in garden beds. They complement spring bloomers like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths nicely.
When spring rolls around, most well-stocked nurseries and garden centers will carry at least one brunnera variety on the shelves. If you want to plan ahead, find a good selection at Bluestone Perennials, 7211 Middle Ridge Rd. Madison, OH 44057; 800-852-5243; www.bluestoneperennials.com. Free print catalog. The beautiful ‘Hadspen Cream’ is available from Digging Dog Nursery, 31101 Middle Ridge Road, Albion, CA 95410, 707-937-1130; www.diggingdog.com. Free print catalog.