Linda I am in the exact same position as you! I planted 6 Brunnera King's Ransom last July and I see nothing at this point and yet so many other perennials are showing through. I am worried as these arent inexpensive plants.

I feel your concern,rouge21. I'm already thinking about where I can buy another Brunnera locally! There are so few listed up for trade that I probably won't be able to find another one in a trade. This plant was a seedling from Jack Frost and looked exactly like the parent. Maybe - keeping fingers crossed - since I don't see any sign of mine and you don't see yours, we are both all right and they are late plants to show spring growth!
Linda

Neither of my two Jack Frost brunnera are showing any new growth yet. In fact, the only thing in my shade bed that's sent up new growth so far is polemonium/Jacob's ladder which is planted just a couple feet from one Jack Frost. I think it's too early for the brunnera. My garden diary says I didn't see new growth on them until April 8 last year but of course, unlike this winter, we had a horrendous winter in 2011 with 8 ft. of snow covering everything right through early April. Even though the air temperature is unusually warm this year, the ground is just beginning to thaw.

I do have new growth on columbine and several others including phlox p. 'Blue Paradise,' bee balm, painted daisy, cushion spurge, lupine, agastache and a few others.

All of mine are just starting to poke up.

Karen

All of my Brunnera are up, though the ones in deeper shade are just starting to poke through. It could be that everyone here has their Brunnera planted in deeper shade, which is the last place to thaw out in the garden. These plants are super hardy, so I don't think their lateness to emerge is anything to worry about! ;-)
CMK

The Jack Frost I planted in my in-law's yard just appeared two days ago. Not sure if this is early or not since I haven't actually grown one before.

None of the other shade plants are up. No sign of the hosta or coral bells.

Paul

I checked my garden diaries/notes and my brunnera sent up new growth on 4/1 in 2010 but in 2009 it didn't send up any new growth until 4/18 so depending on the weather conditions, it can show itself quite a bit later.

I divided my plant in 2010 and set the division at the opposite end of my full shade bed. Last year both produced lots of flowers. I finally figured out how to use the close-up setting on my camera too.

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gardenweed_z6a wrote:

I checked my garden diaries/notes and my brunnera sent up new growth on 4/1 in 2010 but in 2009 it didn't send up any new growth until 4/18 so depending on the weather conditions, it can show itself quite a bit later.

I really appreciate this info. Thank you. But as a pessimist I am thinking my 6 Brunnera are in plant heaven given that this is the warmest winter and spring (so far) on record and still nothing.

I'm a bit warmer here, but my brunnera King's Ransom is getting ready to bloom here, Hadspen Cream is in bloom already. We've been having 80 degree weather this week though, & everything is coming up really early. Many of my hostas are up. I hate to see what will happen to them if we get a heavy frost.

My regular green brunnera in mostly sun has been up for two weeks or so. But my looking glass and jack frost, both of which are in full shade, are just starting to peak out. I'm planning on moving them to more sun later this spring. I'm beginning to think brunnera is like hosta, not really a full shade plant. Maybe happier in part shade to part sun.

Good news! My DH probably was tired of hearing me complain and worry about my Brunnera. I even took him into our sun porch where you can get a good look at the plant and pointed out the dead top growth from last year. Without telling me, he went out and moved some of the mulch around the plant and found some green growth that has not started to come up. Yippeee! I had done the same thing two days ago but was afraid to move the mulch and dead stems very much as to not disturb the plant. I will be patient and will post as soon as I see the green growth come up.

I'm probably too impatient, but I do worry since I've not had this plant - my very first Brunnera - very long. If it was a daylily or iris, I would not have been so concerned because I have had a few, a very few daylilies be late to come up. And when the plant did, it grew normally and even bloomed on time. I guess it just happens that way some years.

Both the 3 year old Helebores blooming next to the Brunnera and the Brunnera are in bright areas. They receive sun until the sun moves over the house for the day - about a half day of sun. And later in the season, they receive some shade when the butterfly bush in front of them grows tall and fully leafs out. Both plants were very healthy last year and I would think the the Helebores would not be in bloom if it was unhappy. I'm "shade challenged" and try to fit in the more shade happy perennials, including some hosta, where I can provide them at least some shade during the hot summers. Everything is fully mulched and I do water during hot, dry spells.

Linda

I noticed mine starting to poke through week - nothing major, just getting started.

We were doing some spring garden clean up today and I saw 3 or 4 leaves from the Brunnera coming up. We are still to have unseasonably warm weather for at least the next 5 days - highs in the 70's. So, I expect to see almost everything up and starting to grow this week. I just hope Winter doesn't decide to come back and injure all the tender foliage.

Linda

Don't Give up yet! Mine have not shown there green little heads yet. Give them time! the soil has to warn up to there liking before they will wake up. They are pretty tuff plants. My False forget me notes are a Brunnera and they are just now coming up. They are in full sun so the soil is warmer than where my Jack frost are. They have yet to show.

Thanks for the pep talk aquawise. Maybe I will not look at where my 'Brunnera' should be for one full week as maybe it is just like a watched pot never boils ;).

Clearing winter debris (i.e., leaves, straw, etc.) from the front beds yesterday I discovered one of my designer hostas is up--showing 2" nubs so I'm guessing the others will follow suit in the next few warm days. Still no sign of Jack Frost but since they're planted on the north side of the house where they never get direct sun, I would expect them to be a few weeks behind things growing in beds that actually get a few hours of warm sun.

Anybody else ever notice that many shade lovers are early-season bloomers and have blue flowers? I'm thinking of Virginia bluebells, polemonium/Jacob's ladder, brunnera Jack Frost.

I was surprised to see my Jack Frost blooming when I checked them yesterday. The plant is only a couple of inches out of the ground so I didn't expect to see blooms. Very warm and more like May here in SW Missouri.

Just today I see a glimmer of life for 3 of my 6 Brunnera. But still nothing for several of my persicarias i.e.

*Pink Elephant
*Polymorpha
*Golden Arrow

(However lots of sprouting from my "Painter's Palette".)

rouge21 - congrats on your 3 returning brunnera & fingers crossed the errant 3 show up soon so you can breathe a sigh of relief.

No sign of my P. Painters Palette but I have no doubt they'll come back--I grew them from seed via winter sowing so they're tough as nails and we had a Z7 winter. Lowest nighttime temp here was 16 degrees. Last winter we had lots of nights below zero, the lowest being minus 19.

Still no sign of my Jack Frost but my seed-grown/winter sown delphiniums & hardy hibiscus are sending up new growth. They should bloom this year. Also have LOTS of sprouts in the 2012 winter sown milk jugs--lupine, alyssum, campanula, dianthus, Cupid's dart, 'Mesa Yellow' blanket flower, hardy geranium, Prairie Smoke geum, candytuft, Shasta daisy, rose campion and penstemon...so far. I sowed a total of 122 new-to-me seed types this time.

The windows are open and the ceiling fans are moving the air. My 'Regal Ruffles' hellebore has more than a dozen buds on it and three opened today. I'm loving this mild weather.

Three of my five 'Jack Frost' are coming up. The other two are in more shade (even in winter). I have found that leaving the foliage on all winter (yeah, it's an ugly black blob) helps them to get through it better.

tj

Mine went from invisible to 3 inches high in one day. If I'd stood there, I could have seen them grow.

Mine are up and blooming. We had a mild winter and a very warm Spring have been in the 70s and 80s for 3 weeks.

Here is one of my "King's Ransom" Brunnera that has come up this past week. It is so cool to see that the leaves are exact miniatures of what is to come in a month or so. I have put a penny coin to see how small but perfectly formed is each leaf.

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One of my Jack Frosts is actually blooming...and one is barely out of the ground. We've had 75 + temps here too...

Checked mine yesterday!!! They now have tiny leaves coming up.

The jack frost in my inlaw's yard has just flowered.

Paul

And yet in my picture you can see that my Brunnera isn't even close to having blooms and I am a zone 5b. I am trying to come up with reasons that this might be the case:

- this will be its first full season in the ground starting from spring (planted in late July 2011)
- it is in a shady location on our property

Rouge21,

There could be a number of factors, soil and weather being one of them. The Jack Frost were planted last year and in a shady area. It's possible that the soil is more fertile here.

Paul

Mine are all up and starting to bloom but seem to be blooming much smaller this year than last. Hmmm...

My Brunnera is not completely up as large as it should be but it's blooming already. Tonight, though, we are to go down to 26. My plant is next to the house, in a protected area so it should be all right. We did cover the Maiden's Blush lilac that is already starting to bloom. I hope it will make it without cold damage.

Linda