Omphalodes cappadocica 'CHERRY INGRAM' navelwort

Navelwort is an attractive perennial for shaded areas. It is similar to brunnera and comes from Turkish woodlands. This variety was named Cherry Ingram in honour of the British naturalist Collingwood Ingram (1880-1981), whose passion for Japanese flowering ornamental cherries made him a recognized expert and his colleagues and friends kew him by the nickname Cherry Ingram. He also worked with several other plant species, but cherries were his focus, and his work is still considered fundamental to understanding their essential role in Japanese culture.

Cherry Ingram navelwort has beautiful sky blue, small, forget-me-not-like flowers are, and appear from late April until early June atop short, only some 20 cm tall, deep violet-blue stems. They are five-petalled and where its margins meet, they shape a white star. Leaves are bright green, broadly lance-shaped to almost obovate. It grows rather slowly and looks best in mass plantings so if you are after a beautiful blue flowering carpet use more plants, e.g. 5-6 plants per square meter. It is not invasive, nor travels around the garden with shoots, nor seeds itself off.

Navelwort does best in semi-shade or full shade with sufficient moisture. It needs cool, humus-rich, well-drained, moist soil. Fully hardy to about -24°C (USDA zone 6) and mulching is recommended in regions with long-lasting winters.

Last update 05-04-2017; 06-12-2024