1804 HEWITT AVE ARTISANS MERCANTILE 2022-05-23

Brunnera macrophylla Jack Frost Siberian Bugloss, False orgetMe Not urchased from Plant Truck Sale 4/9/2022 Planted This hardy perennial has proven over the last decade to be a reliable, beautiful and popular perennial for shade gardens nationwide. It was first discovered as a non-induced mutation of Langtrees in the greenhouses at Walters Gardens, where it's considered to be one of the very best introductions in their 65-year history. Jack Frost has opened up all new possibilities for shade gardeners, giving them something new to complement the hostas, ferns and lungwort already in their gardens. Many retailers have reported that customers come in the store looking for hostas, but leave with a load of brunnera. It's a woodland perennial that naturally prefers loose, organic, moist, but well-drained soil in the landscape. Its leaves are intricately detailed with a crackle-like silver finish and deep green veining, and their fuzzy texture makes it less favorable to deer and other pests. Tiny, baby blue, forget-me-not type blossoms are held above the foliage in spring. Growers at Walters Gardens favor Jack Frost because it's proven to be more heat tolerant than older cultivars and is a vigorous grower. There are three main keys to growing Jack Frost successfully: consistent moisture, shade and using a preventative fungicide drench when transplanting into containers. Wonsistently moist, well-drained soil is essential. Don't let this plant dry out, but don't overwater it either. On a scale of 1 to 5, we water our plants well, dry them down to level 3, then water them again. Dry soil leads to scorched foliage, whereas wet soil invites root and crown rot. Roots should be tan to white in color. • While they can handle short periods of sun if provided with adequate moisture, it's tough to overshade these plants. Too much direct sun will cause them to burn. Brunnera fits easily into greenhouse production alongside hostas and other shade plants. • Preventative fungicide drench After transplanting plugs into larger containers, we recommend using a preventative fungicide drench of thiophanate methyl and etridiazole (commonly sold as Banrot). Since fungal diseases are difficult to treat, we prefer to work proactively with this preventative drench. • Growing media Jack Frost grows well in a standard mix of bark, peat and perlite. As long as you use a loose, not heavy, mix that allows good drainage, you should have good success. We recommend a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.0 for plugs and 5.8 to 6.3 in containers. • Brunnera are not overly heavy feeders, especially at the rooting stage. Growing these plants too lean will result in yellowing on the leaves. • • Growing Jack Frost cool and slow will result in the highest quality finished plants. When rooting plants in spring, maintain a temperature of 65F (18C) and then drop to 55-65F (12- 18C) to finish. When overwintering, don't let the soil drop below 35F (1 .6C), remove the