Lamb's ear

Sun

Full sun; light afternoon shade helps in very hot climates, provided the site has good airflow.

Water

Water regularly during establishment, letting the soil dry between waterings. Established plants usually need water only during prolonged dry spells.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gritty or gravelly soil; tolerates poor soil and a broad pH range. Avoid waterlogged ground and rich, moisture-retentive beds.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m) in leaf; 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) in flower

Spread

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m), spreading farther over time

Flowers

Late spring to summer; small pink-purple flowers in woolly, upright spikes. Some selections flower sparsely.

Foliage

Evergreen. Broad, oblong, silver-grey leaves covered in dense, soft hairs; forms low rosettes and spreading mats.

Growth

Moderate to fast in well-drained soil.

Care needed

Low

• Water at soil level rather than wetting the woolly leaves.
• Do not routinely feed; rich soil encourages soft growth and can worsen rot.
• Keep organic mulch away from the crowns; use a thin gravel mulch if needed.
• Divide congested patches every two to four years, discarding dead centres.
• Lift rooted runners at the edges when the patch spreads beyond its space.

Pruning. In early spring, gently remove dead or rotting leaves without cutting into healthy crowns. Cut spent flower stems back to the foliage, or remove them before flowering if you want a tidier leaf carpet rather than flowers for bees.

Early spring

Remove winter-damaged leaves and check that crowns are not sitting in wet debris.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps once the soil is workable; water divisions until rooted.

Late spring

Thin crowded patches where leaves stay damp or airflow is poor.

Summer

Water at the base during prolonged drought and remove any rotting foliage promptly.

Late summer

Cut down spent flower spikes and remove unwanted rooted runners.

Autumn

Clear fallen leaves from the mat and keep mulch away from the crowns.

• Edge sunny paths with a low silver carpet, leaving room for plants to spread without covering the paving.
• Pair with lavender, catmint and salvias for contrasting leaf textures and purple flowers.
• Plant in gravel gardens among drought-tolerant perennials, where sharp drainage keeps the foliage healthier.
• Use at the front of rose or cottage borders to soften bare stems and contrast with green foliage.
• Place beside an accessible path in a sensory garden where the soft leaves can be touched.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden, Sensory garden, Moon garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Lavender, Catmint, Perennial salvia, Yarrow, Bearded iris and Roses.

Wildlife: The flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects. Wool-carder bees may collect leaf hairs for nesting material where those bees occur; removing flower spikes reduces its value to flower-visiting insects.

• Crown and root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move healthy divisions to a raised or gravelly bed; discard rotted crowns.
• Leaf spotting and mould in humid weather: remove affected leaves, thin the mat and avoid overhead watering.
• Slugs and snails damaging young growth: check beneath the foliage and hand-pick, especially during damp weather.
• Bare centres and untidy spread: divide the patch, replant vigorous outer rosettes and remove runners beyond the intended edge.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. No part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard, but it is not a food plant; eating garden foliage can still cause stomach upset.

• Rose campion (Silene coronaria)

  Also has woolly silver leaves, but forms taller, branching flower stems with open, five-petalled magenta or white flowers rather than dense spikes of small flowers.

• Silver sage (Salvia argentea)

  Makes a much larger rosette of broad, often crinkled woolly leaves and tall, branched stems of pale flowers, rather than a low spreading mat.

• Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

  Develops a large rosette and a tall central spike of yellow flowers; its leaves are larger and it does not form a creeping carpet.

The common name refers to the soft, furry leaves resembling a lamb's ears.

Propagation. Divide rooted rosettes in spring, or in early autumn where winters are mild and drainage is good. The species can also be grown from seed, but named selections should be divided to preserve their characteristics.

Accepted botanical name

Stachys byzantina

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Iran, Krym, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus, Turkey and Turkey-in-Europe.

Measured

Soil pH 8 to 9. Average height 53 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.