#2 - Pulmonaria is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in spring, in brilliant shades of azure blue and hot pink. But it's Pulmonaria's foliage that makes it so welcome in a shade garden design. Breeders have taken old fashioned 'Mrs. Moon' and expanded both her spots and her leaves, so that pinwheels of white and frosted silver glint throughout the growing season. Pulmonaria also spread, in a controlled way, making a tidy blanket along the front edge of a shade garden.
Good choices include: Pulmonaria saccharata 'Moonshine', 'Excaliber' and 'British Sterling'. (Zones 3 - 8, blooming April - May.)
A good alternative to Pulmonaria would be Brunnera macrophylla - False Forget-me-not 'Jack Frost' (Zones 3 - 8, Bloom Period: May June, 12" x 15")
For more information, check out the full growing profile of Pulmonaria.