$30!! that is crazy! ... were they in HUGE pots? ... i bought mine a couple years ago (nice-sized plants)at three different nurseries in the area ... they were all the same price ($8.50) ... must admit, i even THOUGHT that was a little high ... but they are absolutely wonderful ...

they came up only a little over a week ago (or so) & they are already putting out their blue, blue, blue blossoms!

try another nursery, phyl

I saw some yesterday for $19 and no, they weren't in huge pots. I nearly fainted at the prices of most everything at the nursery.

I bought mine last summer for $16 for a gallon size plant, that I split into two separate plants. Both filled out nicely, one is about to bloom.

Karen

Philip, was it Behnke's nursery? I saw 'Jack Frost' in 1G pots there for $30 each. I was terrified with this price.
I bought Brunneras 'Looking Glass' and 'Silver Wings' online at Naylor Creek for $10 each. Just received my order: big bareroot divisions. I went ahead and divide them before planting. I hope they will be fine.
I did not buy a 'Jack Frost' from them because I remember that our Home Depot or Lowe's had it last year for some reasonable price.

They tend to be more expensive than some other perennials, but i've never figured out why. They've been around awhile. But 30? Never have heard of it, even at White Flower Farm. I think someone made a mistake or thinks they can hoodwink a really naive gardener.

Jack Frost is in demand right now. They're charging whatever they think they can get away with. I have one that I got at Bluestone's 50% sale 2 years ago. It is gorgeous and blooms at the exact same time as my tulips. I was thinking of investing in some of the other brunneras this year.

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The 1st 'Jack Frost' I bought several years ago cost $15 in a quart size container. 2 yrs ago I bought another in the same size pot for $6 at a flea market. Right now at the place I bought the 1st one the price is $16, for 'Looking Glass' it's $14 and the plain green one is $8. I've bought many plants from the flea markets that were much cheaper than the nurseries. You can find some really good cheap and healthy plants at them.

Kat

I think that B. 'Langtrees' with its foliage spotted with silver in a pattern that follows the leaf shape (bad description but beautiful leaf) is a very beautiful Brunnera and not well-known.

Another gorgeous silver leafed plant is Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare', a very vigorous plant, much more so than 'Silverado', which never performed well for me.

Agree with the "it's in demand" comment - prices only go as high as the market will bear and will more than likely come down in price as its "hotness" wanes.

You can always wait for the end of the season clearance sales - I've gotten some fine plants by haunting the clearance racks.

philipw2, I bought Jack Frost last year for around $20, and I see *no* sign of it yet in the garden...I hope it's ok!

What about planting Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter'? Has the same silvery leaves as Jack Frost, although much smaller.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter'

$18 at Bluestone!!!!

They must be hot.

Diginthedirt17:
The Lamium is certainly the right color and height. How aggressive is Lamium? The Brunnera in this bed forms a straight line. I have woodruff and japanese painted ferns that form ground cover areas. But I like the way the single line of brunnera slashes through these blotches of groundcover. Would the lamium stay in line (without a lot of work) or would it form another blotch of groundcover.

Jack Frost is a patented plant so propagation is prohibited, but I bet they don't bother worrying about that at flea markets. That means legitimate growers have to buy the starts wholesale and pay the royalty every time, and yes, the price and demand have remained high for Jack Frost and I don't expect the price to come down any time soon.

That said, $30 is outrageous. I think a reasonable and fair price is $10 to $15 for a good sized plant.

hey, phil, forget about paying $30 ... do you save the seed from your existing brunneras) ... i saved seeds (they are germinating & i have about 11 new plants!) ... i also divided the ones that i already have ... now that i know they have become such an expensive item, i am even happier with my frugal ways! ... phyl

Thanks Chris for that info about patented plants. I never thought about them being patented.

Kat

Another reason for the high cost of Jack Frost; they are propagated by tissue culture, which costs much more than field grown perennials. Around here the price has gone down. When they were first introduced they were $25, now they are a bargain at $15.

I was just a Lowes and Jack Frost was $10.95 and looked very nice.

Wow, I wish they were that cheap around here! I bought 3 out of state last year becasue they were so high locally. but one died and I can't replace it until I find it somewhere cheaper!

I just got a half-gallon of a new brunnera called 'Spring Yellow' for $13. Hope its as good as Jack Frost (in a diff color)

Philip,
Just in case you're still looking for them: I just saw 'Looking Glass' in our local Lowe's (Gaithersburg) at $10.98 for 1G plants.

Alina.

Lamium will indeed spread. A lot.

Another reason for the high cost of Jack Frost; they are propagated by tissue culture, which costs much more than field grown perennials. Around here the price has gone down. When they were first introduced they were $25, now they are a bargain at $15.

What!? I disagree - tissue culture is the only thing that keeps plants like this affordable because it can produce so many in such short of time.

I just bought one last week in a gallon pot for 19.99. Now I'm wishing I had divided it into two plants. Oh well live and learn.

Here's an idea: Why not substitute Jack Frost with one of the plethora of Pulmonaria to achieve the same look - speckled leaves, blue to purple or pink flowers. They're not exactly the cheapest perennial either but most are not at the crazy prices of 'Jack Frost.'

Bluestone Perennials has them on sale for $8.97:

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/BRJFP.html

Thanks for the bluestone tip. I went on their website first thing and bought 5.

However, this afternoon while puttering I realized that my arum---a no-name that just appeared in my hedge row---does many of the same things as jack frost. The foliage has a bit of a gray cast and is held high. No pretty blue bloom but those berries last forever. When these Jack frost go, I am replacing them with arum. Any special cultivar with great gray foliage?

But definitely time to get off the treadmill. Give me long lived perennials, or give me tropicals.

For silver plants in the shade, look at some of the wonderful silvery pulmonarias like Excalibur, Silver Shimmer and Majeste. The last two are especially nice. Do a google image search - people are always drawn to these in my garden much more than the brunneras.

I think they are now considered "Collector Plants" which is why the price is so high - at least that is how Bluestone Perennials marketed them a while back.

If you are quick, you can order them of Bluestone's specials list for about $8.

Heather

Just remember that if you do substitute with Pulmonaria hybrids, their seedlings might revert and look like a common pulmonaria and not like the one you have. I am seeing this with seedlings of Pulmonaria 'Northern Lights' and the seedlings look like a common pulmonaria.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pulmonaria 'Northern Lights'

I received a large 'Jack Frost' from Rick's Custom Nursery yesterday - cost was a very reasonable $12.

jazzmom516, I rarely let my perennials seed---except with rudbeckia etc where it would be a full time job to stop them. Are pulmonaria long lived? That photo and others of silver leaved pulmonaria look perfect.