Alphabetical Plant Listing

Stachys byzantina (Lamb's Ears)

Lamb's Ears, Donkey's Ears, Jesus Flannel


Lamb's Ears (Stachys byzantina) is a wonderful evergreen perennial, mostly grown for its rich rosettes of showy, velvety, silvery tongue-shaped leaves, resembling lamb's ears and bringing interest to the border. Pink-purple flower spikes appear in late spring or early summer. Their fuzzy flowers add textural interest, but cutting them off promotes foliage growth and improves the plant's vigor.

  • Aside from its foliage interest, it is drought tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant and requires low maintenance and low watering.
  • Extremely easy to grow, Lamb's Ears features a low, spreading habit and forms a compact mound up to 6-8 in. tall (15-20 cm) or 12-18 in. in flower (30-45 cm) with a spread of 12-36 in. (30-90 cm).
  • Thrives in full sun or light shade, in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils. Can tolerate poor soil conditions.
  • Wonderful for edging beds, softening hard corners and walks, massed as a ground cover, as an accent in the border, underplanting roses or shrubs or in rock gardens. Works well as a filler and as a border perennial. Its silvery leaves are perfect foils for plants with hot- or cool-colored blossoms.
  • Popular Lamb's Ears cultivars are:
    Stachys byzantina 'Helen von Stein'or 'Big Ears' with attractive and fragrant foliage. It rarely sends up flower spikes.
    Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' with incredibly attractive silvery-green leaves. Rarely blooms.  
  • Remove damaged leaves for a neat planting. Can self-seed profusely.
  • Plant in spring, spacing plants 1-3 ft. apart (30-90 cm), depending on the variety.
  • Divide every 2-4 years

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Requirements

Hardiness 4 – 10
Heat Zones 1 – 8
Climate Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Stachys
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Early,Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 6" – 2' (15cm – 60cm)
Spread 1' – 3' (30cm – 90cm)
Spacing 18" – 24" (45cm – 60cm)
Water Needs Low
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Deer, Drought, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil
Attracts Butterflies
Garden Uses Banks and Slopes, Beds and Borders, Edging, Ground Covers, Patio and Containers, Underplanting Roses and Shrubs
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

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Photos: Shades of Green Landscape Architecture, Debora Carl, Van de Voorde, Matthew Cunningham

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 4 – 10
Heat Zones 1 – 8
Climate Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Plant Type Perennials
Plant Family Stachys
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Early,Mid,Late)
Summer (Early,Mid,Late)
Fall
Winter
Height 6" – 2' (15cm – 60cm)
Spread 1' – 3' (30cm – 90cm)
Spacing 18" – 24" (45cm – 60cm)
Water Needs Low
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Well-Drained
Characteristics Showy, Evergreen
Tolerance Deer, Drought, Rabbit, Dry Soil, Rocky Soil
Attracts Butterflies
Garden Uses Banks and Slopes, Beds and Borders, Edging, Ground Covers, Patio and Containers, Underplanting Roses and Shrubs
Garden Styles City and Courtyard, Coastal Garden, Gravel and Rock Garden, Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow

Great Plant Combination Ideas with Stachys

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