Alexander's Great Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla 'Alexander's Great')
brun-ERR-ah mak-roe-FY-lah 'Alexander's Great'

Deciduous Perennial Mounded in the Boraginaceae Family
A king-sized Siberian Bugloss with the biggest, most heavily silvered leaves in the genus, discovered in a private garden in Belarus.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Alexander's Great' (US Plant Patent 25,789) was discovered by breeder Alexander Zuikevich in a private garden in Minsk, Belarus, among a planting of ordinary Siberian Bugloss -- its exact parentage is unknown. What set it apart was sheer size: its heart-shaped leaves are dramatically larger than a typical Brunnera's, heavily veiled in silver, and the whole plant forms a correspondingly large, vigorous mound topped each spring by sprays of small sky-blue forget-me-not flowers.

Compared to the familiar 'Jack Frost', 'Alexander's Great' is simply a bigger plant in every dimension -- more vigorous, faster to fill in, and more weather-tolerant once established. It won a Colorado State University "Too Good to Wait Performer" award in 2015 and was named a CSU Top Performer for 2016.

Pros

  • Thrives in full to part shade
  • Deer and rabbit resistant
  • Textured and veined leaves look great when contrasted with neighboring plants
  • Provides not-invasive groundcover

Cons

  • Needs consistent moisture
  • Will not thrive in full sun
  • Grows/spreads quite slowly
Highlights Award Winner Foliage of Interest Deer Resistant
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 18 - 24 inches tall. 24 - 36 inches wide.
Sun Exposure Full Shade - Partial Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium - Wet
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Attracts Wildlife, Colorful Foliage, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Edging, Fast Growth Rate, For a Shady Spot, Formal Garden, Full Shade, Good for Accents, Good for Asian Garden, Good for Beginners, Good for Borders, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Good for Rock Garden, Groundcover, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Low Maintenance, Medium, Naturalizing, Non-Allergenic, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Showy Flowers, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil, Wet, Wet Site Tolerant, Winter Interest, Woodland Garden
Bloom Period April to May
Flower Color Blue
Foliage Color
 

In The News
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Pairs well with other shade-loving natives such as wild ginger, Solomon’s seal, woodland ferns, and native sedges, or with hostas for a contrast of leaf shapes.
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 08/23
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 05/04 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!