Stachys Byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)

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Botanical name: Stachys byzantina‍ • Bloom season: Summer • Bloom color: Magenta-pink spikes over silver felted foliage • Pollinator value: The specialist wool carder bee harvests fibers from the leaves and defends the patch; a genuinely unusual habitat feature

In a mass of shimmering light blue/green, the softest of leaves invite one to stay and reach out to brush them. Yes, they are as soft as they look, a must for the sensory garden. A classic cottage perennial, Lamb's ear is very active with pollinator visitors here in the Vital Bee Buds spaces and has the longest blooming period (early spring through summer). Meanwhile, the leaves are evergreen most of the winter and provide shelter and food for ladybugs and spiders. Carpenter bees and Leaf-cutter bees spar during mating season; honeybees and various bumblebees cover the tiny raspberry-red florets that circle the fluffy stems.

When asked what the best pollinator plant is, this must always be included near the top of our list.

Botanical name: Stachys byzantina‍ • Bloom season: Summer • Bloom color: Magenta-pink spikes over silver felted foliage • Pollinator value: The specialist wool carder bee harvests fibers from the leaves and defends the patch; a genuinely unusual habitat feature

In a mass of shimmering light blue/green, the softest of leaves invite one to stay and reach out to brush them. Yes, they are as soft as they look, a must for the sensory garden. A classic cottage perennial, Lamb's ear is very active with pollinator visitors here in the Vital Bee Buds spaces and has the longest blooming period (early spring through summer). Meanwhile, the leaves are evergreen most of the winter and provide shelter and food for ladybugs and spiders. Carpenter bees and Leaf-cutter bees spar during mating season; honeybees and various bumblebees cover the tiny raspberry-red florets that circle the fluffy stems.

When asked what the best pollinator plant is, this must always be included near the top of our list.

Size:

Plant Characteristics

Botanical Name: Stachys byzantina

Common Name: Lamb's Ear

Native: Non-native

Native Region: Not native to North America; origin Middle East and Caucasus

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Low

Bloom Time: Summer

Bloom Color: Magenta-pink spikes over silver felted foliage

Pollinators: Bees

Deer Resistant: Yes

Mature Size: W 18"-24" x H 12"-18"

Soil: Sharply drained; lean soil, rots in wet ground

Pollinator Value: The specialist wool carder bee harvests fibers from the leaves and defends the patch

Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial

USDA Zones: 4 to 8

Spread Habit: Mat-forming; spreads slowly

Available As: Live plant

Growing Notes

Full sun and sharply drained, lean ground. It rots in wet soil and the felted leaves turn to mush where they sit against damp mulch, so gravel rather than bark at the base. Space about 15 inches apart. Poor soil keeps it compact; rich soil makes it lax and prone to melting out.

  • Water: Low

  • Sun: Full Sun

  • Soil: Sharply drained; lean soil, rots in wet ground

  • Mature size: 12 to 18 in by 18 to 24 in

Maintenance

Many gardeners cut the flower spikes off to keep it as a foliage carpet. Leave them: the flowers are the nectar and the leaves are the nesting material, so the plant does both jobs at once if you let it. Pull out any leaves that have gone brown and slimy after wet weather to keep rot from spreading. Divide every three years when the center opens up.