Spotted dead nettle

Sun

Partial shade to full shade; morning sun is suitable in cool climates, but avoid hot afternoon sun.

Water

Keep evenly moist while establishing. Established plants tolerate short dry spells in shade, but prolonged drought causes thinning and scorched leaves.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained soil; tolerates clay if it does not remain waterlogged. Suitable for mildly acidic to alkaline soils.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m), spreading farther over time where stems can root

Flowers

Late spring to early summer, often with scattered flowers into autumn; pink, purple-pink or white, depending on the cultivar.

Foliage

Evergreen. Opposite, toothed, softly hairy leaves, usually green with a central silver blotch; many garden cultivars have mostly silver leaves with green margins.

Growth

Fast in moist, shaded soil.

Care needed

Low

• Water during the first growing season whenever the soil surface begins to dry.
• Apply a thin layer of compost in spring; avoid heavy feeding, which encourages loose, spreading growth.
• Keep mulch away from the crowns and avoid sites that stay wet through winter.
• Lift rooted stems at bed edges before they spread into neighbouring plants.
• Divide congested or bare-centred patches in spring or early autumn.

Pruning. After the main flowering flush, trim lanky stems back by about half to encourage fresh, compact growth. Remove winter-damaged foliage in early spring and pull out any plain-green shoots that appear in silver-leaved cultivars.

Early spring

Remove damaged leaves and check that winter wet has not rotted the crowns.

Spring

Plant or divide clumps, water them in and add a thin layer of compost.

Early summer

Trim after the main flowering flush if plants are straggly.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry spells and check for leaf scorch.

Early autumn

Lift unwanted rooted runners and divide patches where conditions are cool and moist.

Winter

Keep fallen leaves from forming a wet, smothering layer over the crowns.

• Use silver-leaved forms beneath deciduous shrubs to lighten shaded ground.
• Edge shaded paths with a low carpet, trimming stems before they root beyond the border.
• Combine with hostas and ferns for contrasting leaf size and texture.
• Let stems trail over shaded containers or raised-bed edges where spread is easier to control.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Cottage garden, English country, Blues and silvers, Small-space and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Hostas, Ferns, Hellebores, Lungwort, Siberian bugloss and Astilbes.

Wildlife: Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, particularly bumblebees. Dense patches offer shelter for small invertebrates.

• Slugs and snails can damage young leaves; remove hiding places and use iron phosphate bait according to the label if needed.
• Root and crown rot occur in waterlogged soil; improve drainage, reduce watering and replace badly affected plants.
• Hot sun and drought cause scorched leaves and bare patches; provide afternoon shade, water deeply and trim damaged growth.
• Vigorous runners can smother small neighbours; lift rooted stems regularly and keep the patch within a defined edge.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people; no part is recognised as a significant poisoning hazard. It is an ornamental plant, not a recommended food, and eating plant material may still cause stomach upset.

Where it spreads. Can escape cultivation and form dense patches in woodland, particularly in the northeastern and midwestern United States and the Pacific Northwest. It is treated as invasive in some regional assessments; check local guidance before planting near natural areas and never dump rooted stems in the countryside.

• Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon)

  Has yellow rather than pink, purple or white flowers; silver-marked forms often make longer, more aggressive runners.

• Purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum)

  An annual weed with crowded, often purple-tinted upper leaves and small pink-purple flowers; it lacks the persistent, silver-marked carpet typical of garden spotted dead nettles.

• Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

  Usually much taller, with stinging hairs and small greenish flower clusters rather than hooded flowers. Spotted dead nettle does not sting.

The species name maculatum means spotted, referring to the leaf markings, while dead nettle describes nettle-like leaves that do not sting.

Propagation. Divide clumps or detach rooted stems in spring or early autumn. Softwood stem cuttings also root readily. Seedlings may not retain a named cultivar's leaf markings or flower colour.

Accepted botanical name

Lamium maculatum

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Alaska, Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, China North-Central, Czechoslovakia, East Aegean Is., East European Russia and France.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 50 cm.

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