General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in part shade. Prefers consistently moist, organically rich soils in shady areas. Intolerant of dry soils. Foliage may scorch in hot summer sun. Plants prefer cool summers, and generally will not perform well in the hot and humid summer conditions of the deep South (USDA Zones 8-10). Clumps slowly spread by creeping rhizomes to form thick ground covers.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Brunnera macrophylla, commonly called Siberian bugloss, is a rhizomatous, clump-forming perennial that is primarily grown for its attractive heart-shaped, dark green, basal foliage. Small star-like spring flowers are azure blue. ‘Mr. Morse’ is a cultivar that is noted for its silvery, heart-shaped basal leaves (3-5” wide) and tiny white flowers. It is basically a white-flowered version of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (PP13,859 – see M800 herein). It is reportedly the result of a cross between B. ‘Inspector Morse’ and B. ‘Betty Bowring’. Silvery leaves have distinctive green veining. The basal leaves (sometimes with curling edges) form a hosta-like foliage mound that remains attractive throughout the growing season. Smaller stem leaves are elliptic and nearly sessile. Tiny, forget-me-not-like, pearl white flowers in airy, branched paniculate cymes rise above the foliage on slender stems to 15” tall in spring. Bugloss comes from Greek meaning ox tongue in probably reference to the roughness and shape of the leaves. Species is synonymous with and sometimes sold as Anchusa myosotidiflora. U. S. Plant Patent Applied For (PPAF).