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Lamb’s Ears

Category:

Lamb’s Ears’s attractive tomentose oval leaves emerge silver in spring, turning gray in color throughout the season on a plant with a mounded habit of growth. It has masses of beautiful spikes of pink flowers rising above the foliage in early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings.

Characteristics

Average Landscape Height:
12 inches (24 inches with the flowers)
Average Landscape Width:
18 inches
Growth Rate:
fast
Genus:
Stachys
Species:
byzantina
Flower Color:
pink
Flower Period:
in early summer
Summer Foliage Color:
gray
Minimum Light:
partial shade
Maximum Light:
full sun
Minimum Moisture:
dry
Maximum Moisture:
average
Plant Form:
mounded
Canopy:
closed
Pruning:
prune after flowering
Pollution Tolerance:
high
Other Species Names:
Lambs Ears
Branching:
herbaceous
Density:
dense
Spacing:
15 inches

Ornamental Features

Lamb's Ears's attractive tomentose oval leaves emerge silver in spring, turning gray in color throughout the season on a plant with a mounded habit of growth. It has masses of beautiful spikes of pink flowers rising above the foliage in early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings.

Landscape Attributes

Lamb's Ears is a dense herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

Planting & Growing

Lamb's Ears will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 24 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 18 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 15 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to dry locations, and dislikes excessive moisture. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Lamb's Ears is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

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