Brunnera Macrophylla | Perennial Bareroot Plant

Sprays of small blue forget-me-not flowers adorn Brunnera macrophylla from April until June giving a light frothiness to shady areas of the garden.   With attractive mid to deep green heart-shaped lightly hairy leaves, Brunnera macrophylla looks good at the front of borders planted with spring bulbs and other plants grown for their leaf markings such as Lamium and Epimedium.

Brunnera, also known as the great forget-me-not, are hardy rhizomatous herbaceous perennials   quite at home growing in dappled shade and are generally used to great effect as ground cover planting under deciduous trees and shrubs. They grow to a height of around 30cms and are native to woodland and mountainous forest areas of Eastern Europe and North West Asia.                                                                              Brunnera are predominantly grown for their wonderfully heart-shaped variegated leaves and distinctive leaf markings. The ‘forget-me-not’ type blue flowers add a light frothiness to spring borders and the leaves continue to look fantastic throughout the growing season.

Brunneras prefer to be grown away from direct sunlight and in dappled shade with a good humus rich soil.  Ideal conditions where they grow naturally are a cool spot with moist air so ideal in most of the UK and an especially good plant to have in a ‘difficult to grow’ area of the garden. In fact, once established, Brunnera can cope with periods of drought, making this a great choice for almost every garden.
Remove flower stalks as they fade and the decaying leaves in autumn to keep the plant looking tidy. The plant can be lifted and divided every 3/4 years in late autumn. 

For more information on bare roots please click here.

Please note the second picture is a 'general' bare root picture and all varieties will look different when they arrive. You will receive full planting instructions with delivery. 

Brand:  Brookside Nursery
Supplied as:  1 Bare Root
Habit:  Upright
Eventual Height:  30cm (12")
Position:  Sun or Partial Shade
Primary Flower Colour:  Purple - Blue
Plant Type:  Hardy Perennial
Flowering Period:  April - June

Tweet

Bare root perennials will benefit from a soak in a bucket of cold water for an hour before planting, to ensure that the roots are fully hydrated.

Dig a large enough hole to plant the whole root, without damaging it, and incorporate fresh compost with the soil to aid drainage.

Plant not too deeply but making sure the roots are covered with compost/soil mixture.  The crowns (the tops of the plants) should be just 2/3cms below soil level.  If you can see a tiny amount of shoot or greenery make sure this is just above ground level.  Firm gently in ensuring there are no air pockets under or around the roots and water the area well.  This should be all the moisture they need until you can see the plants are actively growing. Once your plants are around 15-20cms in height you can give them a general-purpose feed.

Place a cane or label in the ground next to your bare root perennial just before you cover the roots over so that you know where and what you have planted.

*Do not plant bare perennials if the ground is waterlogged or frozen. If you need to plant when a very cold spell of weather is forecast, cover the area with cardboard or plastic sheeting to keep the worst of the cold out.

Alternatively, a very successful way to start off your bare root perennials is to plant up each bare root plant into a pot using fresh compost. Ensure that the pot is large enough for the roots to spread evenly in the pot. Sprinkle the roots with a mycorrhizal powder.  Plant not too deeply but making sure the roots are covered with compost. The crowns (the tops of the plants) should be 2/3cms below soil level. Water in well and place a label into each pot. Leave until early/mid-spring or once the weather is more clement, when they can be planted in their final flowering positions in the garden border.

The plants can be cut back in late autumn once they have flowered or you can keep the seedheads on as they look very pretty. 

Brookside Nursery Top Tip - Remember to water your bare root plants from spring throughout their first growing season to help establish healthy strong plants.

Our bare root perennials are available for dispatch during the month of March. If you have also ordered plants for dispatch in March, we will send your bareroots during the same week. Smaller orders are dispatched via Royal Mail 24, larger orders via Parcelforce.

If you have ordered bareroot plants only, we will dispatch your order during week commencing 4th March 2019 or if you order after this date we will dispatch within 3-4 days of ordering - these are sent via Royal Mail 48 or Parcelforce 48.

For more advice and information about bare root plants, please click on the advice tab above.