Digging deeperPlant Library

Silver Heart Bugloss flowers

(Photo courtesy of NetPS Plant Finder)

Other Names:  Siberian Bugloss

Description:

Attractive, large heart shaped leaves are green veined, with silver overlay; clusters of tiny blue flowers in spring; best in moist, rich, well drained soil

Ornamental Features

Silver Heart Bugloss features airy cymes of sky blue flowers with white eyes at the ends of the stems from early to late spring. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive heart-shaped leaves remain silver in color with distinctive green veins and tinges of chartreuse throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Silver Heart Bugloss is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Silver Heart Bugloss is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Silver Heart Bugloss will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 16 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Silver Heart Bugloss is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.