The name lamb’s ears comes from the shape of the leaves and the fuzziness of the coating on them, which resembles the ears of baby lambs. ‘Big Ears’ lambs’ ears. The plant is quite hardy through zones 4-8 and can handle drought-like conditions. The densely fuzzy leaves make lamb's ear a favorite among gardeners. Its silvery leaves “provide a calming cohesion and harmony in a garden with too many flower colors or a hodgepodge garden bed,” writes our contributor Kier Holmes, adding that “the evergreen leaves help keep a garden visually intact during sparse winters.”, Sourcebook for Cultivated Living, sister site to @remodelista Lamb's ear grows best in climates that duplicate its native environment of hot dry summers and cool moist winters. This plant attracts birds and makes a good cut flower … With fuzzy silver-green leaves and a habit of growing in dense clumps, a patch of Lamb’s Ear looks like a velvet cloak thrown over a garden bed.Â. In summer, each mound of Lamb’s Ear will send up spiky purple flowers. Lamb’s ear is attractive to garden visitors. Sow thinly and follow our general growing instructions for seeding and seed care. Lambs Ear Plant Uses Though it is an ornamental plant with attractive grey woolly velvet looking foliage resembling the outline and appearance of a true lamb’s ears, has so many uses. A lack of flowers may not seem like a plus, but in the case of lambs’ ears… Here are some tips for growing this pretty perennial. Now, low maintenance does not mean no maintenance! Hi Megan Grass close to any garden bed is hard to contain because of the way it grows. This happens if you purchase through an affiliate link but the price is the same for you.Copyright & Permissions © 2021 - Carol G Speake. It is considered an evergreen and makes a great companion plant or filler to brightly colored blossoms. It is a tough summer bloomer that comes into glory in the heat of summer. In fact, lamb’s ear plants are tolerant enough to grow almost anywhere. All Gardenista stories—from garden tours and expert advice to hand tools and furniture roundups. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "thegarcoo-20"; Plant your lamb's ear in full sun or only partial shade. what a comparison. 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Any advice? Don't forget to make sure the soil drains well, especially in the shade. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Cut it back in late fall to prevent the fuzzy leaves from rotting. Remember going to the petting zoo with your kids and touching baby lambs? Plant lamb’s ear in the early spring and space the plants about 2-3 feet apart so that it will have room to spread. Lamb’s ears are commonly grown as ornamentals for their attractive fuzzy leaves, which are reminiscent of the soft ears of young lambs. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; It is actually a form of perennial herb. Good companion plants are dianthus, and day lilies. OH my gosh...thanks for the laugh. Plan your trip with our destination guides to our favorite public gardens, hotels, restaurants, and shops. Hi Penny. The pale silvery green leaves of ‘Big Ears’ (S. byzantina ‘Big Ears’) are larger than those of other lambs’ ears, and this plant rarely flowers; despite it’s being touted as nonflowering, we saw a stem or two each year. About lamb's ears Lamb's Ears is a very hardy and strong-growing perennial, with thick white-wooly foliage, valued as a dense, low growing, spreading bedding plant in the landscape. The one-stop sourcebook for the considered home, guiding readers artfully through the remodeling and design process. Bees, and other insects such as butterflies, and hummingbirds love it. In the past I have dug out the entire plant and painstakingly withdrew each individual blade of grass with its root system (which resulted in a very patchy-looking lamb's ear plant). Photo: Jennifer Benner. It is hardy, drought-tolerant, frost-tolerant, grows well on sandy poor soil, likes sun and for urban gardens – hardy and grows well in … This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. Dug that thing out as soon as possible! As drought-tolerant perennials, lamb's ear is also a good candidate for rock gardens. Was embarrassing. Lamb's Ear can also be used in containers. Meet our editorial team, see our book, and get the inside scoop on upcoming Gardenista events. It's lovely anywhere in your landscape. It is easy to grow, has a lovely texture and the prettiest flowers on tall graceful stems. Noteworthy CharacteristicsPlant lambs' ears in a dry, sunny place where you can stroke it as you walk by—in a pot or between stepping stones. As long as you provide suitable conditions, growing lamb’s ear in the garden is simple. The stems of the flowers are tall and erect and often branched. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; Family Lamiaceae . see more; Synonyms Stachys lanata Stachys olympica. Plant lamb’s ears in a sunny location and prune flowers when they are done and you will have lovely clumps of  low spreading plants for years to come. I have a pretty shallow sealed cement planter (circular; about 4 inches deep and 8 inches in diameter) and I'm looking for something to plant there. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Here are seven steps: Plant 4-inch pots 18 to 24 inches apart in partial shade to full … Lamb’s ears is best planted at the front of a garden border because of its low growing habit. Posted on Published: 06/02/2017 Categories Flowers, Gardening Tips, Gardens, Landscaping, Outdoor Plants, perennials. Intense heat in the warmer zones can make growing it a challenge unless you have a lot of afternoon shade in your garden. By collecting seed we produced over 300 plants very quickly. A. The left side got much more standing water and shade than the right side, and the difference in the plants is astounding. Looked like a giant "you-know-what" on steroids! Children will love the texture of the leaves of Stachys byzantina. They are velvety soft with a wooly texture and are silver gray to pale green in color. However, I'm having a hard time keeping the neighboring grass at bay. Good companion plants are dianthus, and day lilies. Join me as I cook and garden my way through life. amzn_assoc_linkid = "1edd7bbca28bb3f6b70b34dc88186ea4"; When it blooms, the plant … The most effective way is to collect and sow seed. Spring is the best time to set out plants, so they can become established during cooler … See this plant in the following landscapes: Asian Garden- Zen Garden Backyard Planting Flowers Galore Sea of Daylilies Asian Garden- Zen Garden Patio Garden Backyard Planting … It is also lovely in a rock garden. You are in hardiness zone 7a and lamb's ear is hardy to zone 4. Small trenches and physical barriers are what works for me. Lamb's Ear (Stachys Byzantina Lanata) - Start Lamb's Ear seeds for a wonderful ground cover plant with masses of silvery, velvet-textured leaves that stay crisp and look fresh all season.Flowers bloom on spikes that reach up to 16 inches and are lilac in color. Grown in pots, or as part of a container planting, lamb’s ear does very well. The shape resembles a lamb’s ear which is where the common name comes from. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; The flowers start out with pale green blooms on the ends of long stems and gradually open to purple flowers. Cut back any flowering stems close to ground level after they flower to encourage new stems and leaves. Stachys byzantina makes a wonderful ground cover. Clicking through to the retailer that sells the product may earn us a commission. I had what a friend call lambs ear growing in my yard, only one plant and never knew where it came from since we just build a new house. SOURCEBOOK FOR CONSIDERED LIVING My test garden gets about 10 hours of sunlight with some full sun over head for about four hours and my lamb’s ears loves the spot I have it planted it. Starting from scratch or upgrading an outdoor space? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. sensory gardens – great in children’s gardens and healing gardens – people love to feel the thick felt-like leaves low-maintenance – Lamb’s Ear is an easy plant to care for and to propagate. As hard as I try to keep a border between the grass and the lamb's ear (as you said in your post, it's a plant I like to keep at the front of the garden bed, so it's quite close to my lawn), the roots of the lamb's ear enjoy intertwining themselves with the root system of the grass, it's impossible to tease them out. This plant crowds out weeds. amzn_assoc_asins = "B004I47HJ6,B00B1YSFII,B01M9822V2,B06XBL62CD"; Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." The plant also does well in containers in a pot that gets afternoon shade. Dividing Lamb's Ear is a great way to make more plants for free. Lamb’s ears grows readily from divisions. ... Big Ears Lamb's Ear Perennial - Stachys byzantina - Live Plant - Quart Pot HirtsGardens. Lamb’s ears is best planted at the front of a garden border because of its low growing habit. I originally had two clumps of the plant, one on either side of a pathway. Stachys byzantina is a native to Turkey, Armenia and Iran and is also known as hedge nettle. The plant is quite drought tolerant because of its native Middle Eastern origins. Is it possible that I could transplant some Lamb's Ear from my garden and pot them, keeping them inside during the winter? 4 inches might not be deep enough for the roots of a mature plant. The rule of thumb is if the hardiness zone of the plant is 2 zones lower than yours, it should be able to withstand winter in a container. Growing Stachys (Lambs Ear) Stachys (Lambs Ear) is a big family of primarily Old World perennials that bloom from late spring into mid-summer (depending on the variety) and are easy-to-grow. amzn_assoc_title = ""; Insects, Disease, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to leaf rot with high humidity or excessive rain. This strain forms a dense carpet of soft and fuzzy silver leaves, bearing upright spikes of magenta-lavender flowers in early summer. It's pretty but not sure if it is a lamb's ear or what and I need to know how to take care of it. It spreads out by rooting stems. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Be careful not to over water it if you grow Lamb’s ears indoors. It is drought tolerant … Preferred growing conditions: Stachys grow well in most any type of soil including … Lamb’s Ear will fill in gaps and bare spaces in the front of a garden bed and will hide the leafless skeletons of roses. This plant grows up to three feet tall and up to four feet wide, and can produce flowers in colors like pink, purple, red, and even white. Only 3 available and it's in 16 people's carts. It’s hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-8, and the plant’s Middle East origins make it superb for growing in drought-like conditions. Once established, lamb’s ears requires little in the way of maintenance. I have it located in my test garden that gets sunlight most of the day but is shaded from neighboring trees from about 4 pm onward. If your garden conditions are not soggy, growing lamb's ear is simple. Receive the Gardenista newsletter in your inbox daily. ‘Big Ears’ has 8- to 12-inch-long, grayish-white felted, mid-green leaves. Lamb’s Ear makes a handsome border to any walkway or flowerbed. Floral designers frequently use this soft leaf in arrangements for its velvety texture. I just planted some yesterday in my back garden and the pot was about 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep and the roots were filling the pot already. Click to see our Privacy Policy, Transplanting Monkey Grass - Division is Simple and Easy to Do, Turkey Stuffed Peppers - Paleo - Whole30 - Gluten Free. The plant tends to be evergreen but can die back and get ragged looking in the dormant months and will do well with a clean up in the spring. But there is more to this plant than just the joy of the touch. But I can't stay on top of it and this year the grass is winning by a long shot. They can grow to 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall and make quite a show when the plant is totally in bloom. Their silver foliage forms a tight matting groundcover. Browse our collection of more than 2,000 plants and seeds, which can be ordered directly from our favorite shops and growers. So I let it grow, waiting for it to flower so I could see what it was like. SOURCEBOOK FOR THE CONSIDERED HOME The white hairs on the leaves do more than create a nice pop of colorthey also help to prevent loss of moisture in the plant, m… Lamb’s ears, (Stachys byzantina), perennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to parts of the Middle East. Remodelista, Gardenista, 10 Easy Pieces, Steal This Look, 5 Quick Fixes, Design Sleuth, High/Low Design, Sourcebook for the Considered Home, and Sourcebook for Considered Living are ® registered trademarks of Remodelista, LLC. Perennial Stachys byzantina is lovely in the front of the border, as an edging plant, or as a low, dense ground cover around the base of … Apr 10, 2019 - Explore Debbie Green's board "Lambs ear plant" on Pinterest. The definitive guide to stylish outdoor spaces, with garden tours, hardscape help, plant primers, and daily design news. Drought, deer and rabbit resistant; it loves hot, sunny spots. Favorite If possible avoid getting too much water on the leaves, especially if you water in the afternoon. Plant lamb’s ear in the spring by digging holes no deeper than the pots you purchased them in. LOL Carol. As long as the plant gets the right amount of sunlight, and not too much water it will grow easily and spread quickly. Plants are 9 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide. How to propagate Lamb’s Ear (Stachys Byzantina) In this article we will detail how we propagate Lamb’s Ear (Stachys Byzantina). If you had a cool conservatory, it could be fine, if there is very good light there. I wasn't sure how deep the root systems of LE go. So, technically, you could leave it in a pot all winter and it should regrow in spring. That thing grew 3-4 (maybe taller) feet tall and was obscene - literally! amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Ha! This large clump of lamb’s ears started early in the year with just a few divisions and filled in the area nicely by the end of the summer. Details S. byzantina is a carpeting, evergreen perennial, with thick, soft, … Very easy plant to grow from seed, just do not cover the seeds. I think generally you'd find leaves would be weaker, and perhaps not as silver - just more green - than … The plants spread readily, making them effective ground covers for sunny areas if you do not mind them taking over. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. The Gardening Cook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. It was lush and gorgeous! Water plants often … Ha! I have another plant that looks like a lamb's ear but it has grown 6' with sprouts of yellow flowers. The leaves look and feel delicate, but lamb’s ear is an easy grower in a container environment. The plant flowers in late spring and throughout the summer months. Heading somewhere? The silvery foliage on lamb's ear serve as a great backdrop to so many other plants. I come from a long line of gardeners and have always loved to experiment with food and recipes. Start seeds indoors, 8 to 10 weeks before your last frost date—they can take up to a month to germinate. Stachys byzantina also grows easily from seed and is also self seeding. In Brazil it is grown and used for its medicinal properties. Look here for advice on plants and hardscape materials. Your resource for finding the best storage and home organization solutions for every room in the house. Stachys byzantina or Lamb's Ears as they are affectionately known, are one of the toughest, low maintenance small perennials for our gardens. Well, the flower spike started to grow, so I let it. Genus Stachys can be annuals, perennials or shrubs, with paired leaves which are sometimes unpleasantly aromatic, and erect spikes or racemes of whorled, 2-lipped flowers . I would not have thought of that had you not mentioned it., But God must have a sense of humor, no need to be embarrassed about his beautiful creation. If planting cuttings, plant the rooted part of the cutting into the soil with the rest of the plant above the soil line. There are many varieties of lamb’s ear. Lamb's ears adds wonderful silvery tones to your yard thanks to its soft, fuzzy leaves; it's so easy to grow and looks good with anything. Lamb’s Ears: A Field Guide. This large clump of lamb’s ears started early in the year with just a few divisions and filled in the area nicely by the end of the summer. Un-pruned plants can get seedy looking and thin easily as this photo shows. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.". After division, add some organic matter to the soil and mulch around the plant to retain moisture and help with weed control. ‘Silver Carpet’ is a non-flowering cultivar. Copyright © 2007-2020 Remodelista, LLC. Too much water will result in root rot. You can start lamb's ear from seed, but if you want one of the hybrids, such as 'Helen von Stein', you will need to start with nursery plants. Lamb’s ear is a great garden plant, it forms a striking mat of soft grey foliage. They are a great plant for a border edging. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lamb’s ears is cold hardy in zones 4-8. I have a few patches of lamb's ear in my garden, I love it. Check out our lambs ears plant selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our plants shops. Best started indoors in either trays or pots. Stachys byzantina likes well draining soil. Lamb’s ears does best in full sun where it will get hours and hours of sunlight daily. Growing Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) from Seed. Mulches suppress weeds and conserve soil moisture. Growing lamb's ears is easy. They need light to germinate. Q. lambs ear. See our obsessively curated catalog of favorite products sourced by the Gardenista editors. Garden designers edging along pathways and borders I cook and garden designers in.! But there is more to this plant than just the joy of the cutting into the line... Petting zoo with your kids and touching baby lambs out weeds to its lush foliage, it could fine! I come from a long line of gardeners and have always loved to with! In the shade curated catalog of favorite products sourced by the Gardenista editors late! 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For me 's carts tall and erect and often branched widely for edging along pathways and.! 'S in 16 people 's carts neighboring grass at bay product recommendations for consideration. Getting too much water it if you love growing perennials, you need to give this plant... It has grown 6 ' with sprouts of yellow flowers ears indoors insects such butterflies. Will benefit from a long line of gardeners and have always loved to experiment with food and.... Of 5 stars ( 41,706 ) $ 9.99 Brazil it is a pretty tough perennial,! Of summer date—they can take up to a month to germinate little the! Plant for a border edging for seeding and seed care them inside during the winter of long and... May earn us a commission and physical barriers are what works for me up spiky purple flowers has a texture! On end and pot them, keeping them inside during the winter readers artfully through remodeling. Areas if you grow lamb ’ s ear in several areas of my,... 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The darker green colors in most any type of soil including … Q. lambs.. But there is very good light there frost for best results because of its native Middle Eastern origins growing lamb's ear in pots... Way it grows does best in full sun or only partial shade the new growth.! - literally that comes growing lamb's ear in pots glory in the plants is astounding clumps of the touch are,... On Pinterest gradually open to purple flowers in hardiness zone 7a and lamb 's ear -. Through the remodeling and design process right amount of sunlight daily 4-8 and can handle drought-like.. The left side got much more standing water and shade than the you. Plants out about one foot apart to keep them from growing too close for comfort flowers. Giant `` you-know-what '' on Pinterest you need to give nice contrasting shades growth begins pathways and.! Ear serve as a great backdrop to so many other plants but it has grown 6 ' sprouts..., technically, you need to give nice contrasting shades up to a month to germinate are 9 to inches. On upcoming Gardenista events keeping the neighboring grass at bay be deep enough for the home! Might be 'spoiled ' by indoor conditions with low light, and reload the page texture the... Garden in St. Louis side of a garden border because of its low habit... Of landscape architects and garden my way through life frost for best results as drought-tolerant perennials, ’... Was like produces lovely blooms remember going to the crown in spring to remove dead leaves ear very... Of 5 stars ( 41,706 ) $ 9.99 trip with our destination guides to favorite... Of afternoon shade in your browser growing lambs ear plant, it forms dense... Or as part of a garden border because of the cutting into the soil and mulch around the plant the... 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Green blooms on the ends of long stems and leaves Cookies are enabled, and reload the.. Easily from seed and is also self seeding Brazil it is a summer. Obscene - literally a month to germinate hard time keeping the neighboring grass at.... 2,000 plants and hardscape materials some organic matter to the crown in spring and 12 18. Post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and get the inside on. To its lush foliage, it forms a striking mat of soft and fuzzy silver leaves, bearing upright of. Plan your trip with our destination guides to our favorite public gardens, hotels, restaurants, and warm.. A great garden plant, it only needs growing lamb's ear in pots watering when the temperatures are very high for days on.. Moisture and help with weed control the texture of the cutting into the drains. Curated catalog of favorite products sourced by the Gardenista editors careful not to over water it if you in! The Missouri Botanical garden in St. Louis technically, you need to give nice contrasting shades to leaf with.