Brunnera

The largeleaf brunnera comes from the moist mountain forests of the Caucasus, where it forms dense undergrowth. It is an ideal perennial for shady and semi-shady corners of your garden, where it will thrive in humus-rich, moist soil. It resembles classic forget-me-nots in appearance, but don't be fooled, its leaves are much larger, heart-shaped, and rough to the touch. Thanks to them, it acts as a great groundcover plant that sprouts early in the spring and reliably covers bare soil with its leaves until late autumn. It thus forms a natural contrasting background for the delicate, tiny flowers. Tiny sky-blue flowers appear in April, May, and June, creating a beautiful delicate veil over the green carpet of leaves. The flower clusters are also suitable for cutting into spring hand-tied bouquets, where they look very tender. Just watch out for snails and slugs, who like to feast on the juicy leaves of the brunnera, so it's a good idea to check the plants regularly. It is a long-lived and hardy perennial that handles severe frosts without problems and will bring you joy in one place for many years.

Siberian bugloss is a hardy perennial that is unfazed even by the shady corners of the garden where other plants fail to thrive. It earned its name thanks to its tiny blue flowers, which are very similar to classic forget-me-nots and bloom in April and May. Unlike its more famous relative, the largeleaf bugloss, this species spreads a bit more vigorously and forms dense stands. Thanks to its underground rhizomes, it works as a great groundcover plant that reliably suppresses weeds under trees or shrubs. Once the plant finishes blooming, all its energy moves into the large, deep green heart-shaped leaves, which quickly grow to their final size. It is an ideal choice for beginners because it handles heavier clay soils excellently and tolerates short-term drought. Furthermore, the flowers are suitable for cutting into spring tied bouquets, where they look very tender and add lightness to the arrangement.