Brighten shade

Plant a shade-loving perennial that looks good with other spring and summer blooms! Many brunneras (Brunnera macrophylla) have silver foliage, but ‘Looking Glass’ has exceptionally silver leaves. It starts out the season with green veins, like you see here. But as its flowers finish and the temperatures rise, the leaves turn solid silver.

‘Looking Glass’ will tolerate lots of conditions but performs best in a shady spot with a neutral to slightly acid soil. As you plant, dig a wide hole and work lots of compost or sphagnum peat moss into the soil to help hold moisture around the roots. If the soil gets too dry, the leaf edges will turn brown. As the spring flowers fade, snip the stems off at the crown. In a few weeks, new (and larger) leaves fill in and look good all summer.

>Type Perennial

>Blooms Clusters of airy sky blue flowers in spring

>Light Part to full shade

>Soil Moist, well-drained, slightly acid

>Pests Occasional slugs and snails

>Size 12 to 18 in. tall and wide

>Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 8

>Heat-tolerant AHS zones 8 to 1

>Source Bluestone Perennials, Inc.