Daffodils are popular for their early flowers as they brighten the spring garden with their golden trumpets, but elsewhere in the shade, and often overshadowed by bright primulas, daffodils and tulips, grow the pulmonarias.

These soft leafed and subtly coloured flowered plants are early flowering perennials that thrive in fertile, moist soil in partial to full shade.

Many varieties have beautifully marked leaves that continue to give interest long after the flowers have faded, from ones with the odd white spot to others almost completely silver.

Pulmonarias come in shades of blue through to pink, red and white depending on the variety. Blues include the lovely 'Mary Mottram', a favourite of mine that has grown in the garden for years, although I have noticed one clump has disappeared from the front garden this spring.

This is disappointing as it grew with a clump of snowdrops and the occasional years their blooms coincided gave me a jolt of pleasure each time I saw them.

Fortunately there is another plant that can be propagated to fill the gap with silvered leaves and blue-mauve flowers.

Perhaps the brightest blue is Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign', which has rich, bright blue flowers and plain, unspotted mid green leaves which die back to over-wintering buds.

There is a good photograph of this plant on horticulturist Vanessa Cook's website www.stillingfleetlodgenurseries.co.uk which also includes details of her National Collection of Pulmonaria.

Pulmonaria 'Blue Buttons' is similar while Pulmonaria 'Opal' has spotted leaves and very pale blue flowers.

There is a red flowered variety in our garden that was bought last spring and didn't seem to thrive at all.

Since then the label has been lost and I have forgotten its name but after dying back over the winter the plant has begun to grow surprisingly strongly despite still being small.

Two coral red flowers have opened and there are several more buds to open, and light green leaves are appearing, each edged in white.

Other reds and pinks include the deep-coloured 'Raspberry Splash' and 'Northern Lights', the latter with contrasting pale silver foliage. 'Marjory Fish' has dark pink flowers, while Pulmonaria saccharata has interestingly blotched foliage and bright pink flowers that fade to blue or violet as they age.

Finally the white-flowered varieties, a small group of plants within this large family that includes the heavily spotted-leafed 'Sissinghurst White' and Pulmonaria officinalis 'White Wings' which has pale green spotted leaves and pink-throated flowers.

Pulmonarias prefer to be grown out of the sun, although some will tolerate a more open position as long as the soil doesn't dry out. Even in the shade they will wilt in high temperatures but they usually recover as the heat reduces in the evening.

A good dousing of water will help them along in hot, dry periods and reduce the onset of mildew, which tends to affect many of these plants.

Should mildew appear, cut all the leaves back to the new growth and dispose of them. Water well and a new clump of foliage should quickly appear.

Plants that have very silvery foliage tend to be easily scorched by the sun or drying winds and are therefore best planted in a cool and shady spot, sheltered from the wind.

New plants Johnson's Seeds have introduced two new annual plants this year. Phlox 'Vegas Lights' (100 seeds/£1.79), which grows 45cm/18ins tall is a sweetly scented, bicoloured, half-hardy annual with pink flowers overlaid with a white star.

It needs to be sown indoors between March and April and planted outside in May or when the danger of frost has gone. The plants should bloom between June and October, depending on when they were sown, and can be put into beds and borders or pots and containers.

Papaver somniferum 'Purple Passion' (750 seeds/£1.79) is a half-hardy annual with large silky double flowers and will grow in quite poor soils in sun or partial shade.

The seeds can be sown directly into their flowering positions during March to May for flowers between June and October.

Down To Earth and Perennial A reminder that the gardening charity Perennial, which helps horticulturists in need, is holding a fundraising event at Askham Bryan College on Wednesday.

Organised in conjunction with Radio York's Down To Earth programme, the event will consist of a panel of experts, kept in order by William Jenkyns, who will answer gardening questions from the audience.

The panel will include Sarah Hopps, Nigel Harrison, Alan Mason and David Beardall. Sadly this will be the last recording for Down To Earth, which will end its ten-and-a-half-year run when it is broadcast on Sunday April 2. Tickets cost £5 and are available at the door, which opens at 7pm for the 7.30pm start.