Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' — 17cm / 2L17cm / 2L
Siberian Bugloss 'Silver Heart'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart'

£14.99
Very hardyShade-tolerantLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £14.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' is one of the most luminous shade perennials you can grow, prized for its broad, heart-shaped leaves washed almost entirely in pewter silver and traced with fine green veins. In mid to late spring, airy sprays of clear blue, forget-me-not flowers float above the foliage, giving this Siberian bugloss its other common name, the false forget-me-not. It is the kind of quietly glamorous plant that lifts a dark, difficult corner and keeps on giving long after the blooms have faded.

'Silver Heart' is a robust, garden-raised selection with notably thick, weather-resilient leaves that hold their metallic sheen right through to autumn. Compact and well-behaved, it earns its place among our hardy exotics as dependable, year-after-year structure for shade.

Water through the first summer to settle it in, then mulch with leaf mould in autumn to lock in moisture and feed the crown. The blue spring flowers are loved by early bees, making it a quietly valuable plant for wildlife and pollinators. Use it as ground cover, at the front of a shady border, or to brighten woodland plantings alongside ferns, hostas and hellebores. It carries no reported toxicity to people or pets, so it suits family gardens too.

Every Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' we send out is a strong, well-rooted, nursery-grown plant, carefully selected and ready to settle straight into your garden.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

7 day live arrival guarantee
Order by 1pm Mon to Fri for same day dispatch
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How to care for Siberian Bugloss 'Silver Heart'

Give me sun with a little shade and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

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About Siberian Bugloss 'Silver Heart'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' needs partial shade or full shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Shade Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H6 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −20°C

fully hardy across the UK (RHS H6). Deciduous, it dies back in winter and returns dependably each spring, needing no protection.

Position

Partial shadeFull shadeNorth-facingEast-facingSheltered

dappled or full shade. A cool, sheltered, north or east-facing spot beneath trees or shrubs keeps the silvering at its brightest, as hot sun can scorch the leaf edges.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

moist but well-drained and humus-rich. Happy on chalk, clay, loam or sand at almost any pH, though it resents both waterlogging and prolonged drought.

Watering

Keep consistently moist. Sprays of blue forget-me-not flowers appear in spring. Read moreShow less

Keep consistently moist. Sprays of blue forget-me-not flowers appear in spring.

Mature size

Height30-40 cm
Spread40-45 cm

Reaches full size in 2-5 years

Growth habit

Clump-forming

Flowering

Apr-May · Blue

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Remove faded flower stems after flowering and cut away tired or scorched leaves; clear the old foliage to the crown in early spring.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity; generally considered non-toxic to people and pets, though the bristly leaves may cause minor skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

Native range

Garden origin (species native to Eastern Europe to Western Siberia)

Family

Boraginaceae

Genus

Brunnera
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brunnera 'Silver Heart' hardy enough for a UK winter?

Yes. It is fully hardy across the UK (RHS H7), withstanding temperatures well below -20C. It dies back to the ground over winter and reliably reshoots from its crown each spring.

Does it prefer sun or shade?

It is a true shade plant, happiest in partial or full shade. Avoid hot, dry, full sun, which can scorch the silvery leaves; a cool, moist, north or east-facing spot under trees or shrubs is ideal.

How big does it get?

It forms a neat, low mound roughly 30-40cm tall and 40-45cm wide, reaching its full size in about two to five years. The clump slowly spreads to make excellent ground cover.

Is it evergreen?

No, it is herbaceous and deciduous. The foliage dies back in autumn and fresh silver leaves unfurl again in spring, followed by sprays of blue, forget-me-not-like flowers.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. It does well in a container of peat-free, moisture-retentive compost kept in shade. Pots dry out quickly, so water regularly through summer and never let the roots bake.

Is it safe around pets and children?

Brunnera macrophylla has no reported toxicity to people or pets, making it a reassuring choice for family and dog-friendly gardens. As with any plant, discourage nibbling.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

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Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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