The illustrated growing guide

Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not)

Brunnera macrophylla

Family Boraginaceae

Est. zones 3-8

Botanical illustration of Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not) — Perennial · Brunnera macrophylla

A shade-garden workhorse grown for its heart-shaped leaves frosted in silver (like 'Jack Frost'), which light up dark corners all season, plus a spring haze of tiny true-blue flowers. Deer and rabbits leave it alone. Keep it moist and shaded — dry soil or hot sun scorches the leaf edges. A refined companion to hostas and ferns.

Perennial

Where to buy the plant — 1 nursery

Brunnera — a print from the Shade Garden collection

From the print shop

Growing brunnera (false forget-me-not)? Hang it.

Our Shade Garden collection carries brunnera (false forget-me-not) — Brunnera macrophylla, print Nº 9, “Brunnera.”

16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed

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Overview

Will brunnera (false forget-me-not) suit your garden, and what goes wrong.

✓

Will it thrive where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what brunnera (false forget-me-not) actually needs.

Hardy inZones 3-8

Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not) at a glance

HardinessUSDA 3–8

Mature size12-18 in mound

PollinationEarly bees on the blue sprays

Chill requirementNot yet established

Bloom seasonSpring — airy sprays of true-blue forget-me-not flowers

Harvest seasonNot yet established

Growth rateSlow-Moderate

Common brunnera (false forget-me-not) problems

Almost none — deer- and rabbit-resistant
Leaf scorch from dry soil or too much sun

Growing

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

How to grow brunnera (false forget-me-not): light, water & soil

LightPart Shade to Shade

WaterModerate, even — leaves scorch if dry

SoilRich, moist, humusy · pH 6.0 - 7.0

FertilizerLight spring compost

PruningSpring cleanup — Remove scorched or tired leaves; deadhead if you like. The silver-leaved types are the main draw.

Spacing15-18 in

How to plant & propagate brunnera (false forget-me-not)

PropagateDivision or seed

When to spray brunnera (false forget-me-not)

Growing season. Keep it moist and shaded.

Timing only — the label is the law

This is when to watch and when a treatment is worth considering, not a recommendation to apply any product. Read and follow the product label before you spray — under federal law the label is the legal instruction, and using a pesticide against it is illegal.

Check the pre-harvest interval. Every product that’s cleared for an edible crop sets a minimum number of days between spraying and picking. Find it on the label before you spray anything you intend to eat.
Check the re-entry interval before you or anyone else works in the treated area again, and use the protective equipment the label names.
Confirm the product is registered for brunnera (false forget-me-not) in your state. A product legal on one crop is not legal on all of them, and state registrations differ — your state pesticide agency or local extension office can confirm both.
Rates and mixing instructions come from the label, never from us. We don’t publish them because they differ by product and formulation.

III

The year

What brunnera (false forget-me-not) asks for, month by month.

The brunnera (false forget-me-not) year, month by month

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bloom

Prune

What each band means

Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.

The brunnera (false forget-me-not) year as text

Jan quiet month
Feb quiet month
Mar bloom, pruning
Apr bloom, pruning
May bloom, pruning
Jun quiet month
Jul quiet month
Aug quiet month
Sep quiet month
Oct quiet month
Nov quiet month
Dec quiet month

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not) in the garden system

Herbaceous layer perennial
Nectary/insectary

AttractsBees

HabitatWoodland

MoistureUpland / dry

DeerResistant — a safer unfenced choice

OriginIntroduced

What brunnera (false forget-me-not) is grown for

✓ Not known to be toxic

UseSilver shade foliage

UseDeer-resistant

UseSpring blue

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

Cultivars

Named varieties of brunnera (false forget-me-not), ruled as a catalogue.

Best brunnera (false forget-me-not) varieties & cultivars

'Jack Frost' (frosted silver leaves — the standard); 'Looking Glass' (nearly all-silver); 'Alexander's Great'

Sources & plant ID

Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.

Research basis

Sources behind this profile

No extension citations are attached to brunnera (false forget-me-not)yet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.

Plant ID

BinomialBrunnera macrophylla

FamilyBoraginaceae

TypePerennial

USDA symbolBRMA11

OriginIntroduced

Invasive riskLow

VII

Where to buy

Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.

Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.

Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.

EtsyBrowse growers↗

VIII

Questions

Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not) questions, answered straight.

Do deer eat brunnera (false forget-me-not)?

Rarely — brunnera (false forget-me-not) is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.

Is brunnera (false forget-me-not) safe for kids and pets?

Brunnera (False Forget-Me-Not) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.

How do you propagate brunnera (false forget-me-not)?

Division or seed.

Elsewhere

Where brunnera (false forget-me-not) sits in the library.

Where brunnera (false forget-me-not) sits in the library

Deer-resistant plants57 All collections

Grows in the same world