Betony 'Hummelo'
Stachys officinalis 'Hummelo' · Lamiaceae
Stout, rosy-purple spikes stand in a dense crowd above a neat mat of glossy, scalloped leaves in midsummer. The seed heads stay upright through winter.
- Size
- 20 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to early August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around betony 'Hummelo'
The planner designed this bed around betony 'Hummelo' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) cottage garden in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why betony 'Hummelo' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Betony 'Hummelo' × 3, purple
- 2 Yellow ice plant × 8, yellow
- 3 October daphne × 3, pink
- 4 Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation' × 4, tan
- 5 Bee balm 'Jacob Cline' × 3, red
- 6 Inkberry 'Gem Box' × 1, dark green leaves
- 7 Greigii tulip × 7, orange
- 8 Netted iris × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only spires. The others are daisies, dense clusters, plumes and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only purple.
Why here
- In the middle. At 20 in it is the step between October daphne (8 in) in front and inkberry 'Gem Box' (2½ ft) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From late June to early August.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bee balm 'Jacob Cline' in late June: 2 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as a cottage garden: 22 of the 22 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Cool colours (purple, pink and blue) set against hot ones (yellow, red and orange), with tan to calm things between them. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 59% of the visual weight and the right half 41%.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where betony 'Hummelo' goes in a border
At 20 in it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
Uniform, sturdy and long-lived: a plant to use in bold groups. The short, dense spikes repeat well through a planting of grasses and coneflowers.
- Massed in naturalistic planting
- The front to middle of a sunny border
- Winter seed heads
What to plant with betony 'Hummelo'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Prairie dropseed: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid August; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Purple coneflower: in flower together for six weeks, from late June; tall enough (3 ft) to stand behind it.
- Calamint: in flower together for four weeks, from mid July; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
Questions about betony 'Hummelo'
Does betony 'Hummelo' need sun or shade?
Betony 'Hummelo' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does betony 'Hummelo' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does betony 'Hummelo' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to early August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Early July to early August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 6 | Late June to early August |
| Zone 7 | Late June to late July |
| Zone 8 | Late June to late July |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should betony 'Hummelo' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 20 in (50 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many betony 'Hummelo' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is betony 'Hummelo' poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like betony 'Hummelo'?
Betony 'Hummelo' comes from Europe, northwestern Africa, Caucasus, and Siberia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Butterfly weed: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in taller, orange, not purple.
- Coneflower 'Kim's Knee High': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers early July to late August, pink, not purple.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat betony 'Hummelo'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after betony 'Hummelo'?
Betony 'Hummelo' is over by early August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Prairie dropseed: from mid August to mid September, 2½ ft tall (a recorded partner).
- Lilyturf: from early August to mid September, 16 in tall.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': from mid August to mid October, 24 in tall.
What does betony 'Hummelo' look like in winter?
Betony 'Hummelo' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is betony 'Hummelo' good for bees and butterflies?
Betony 'Hummelo' is visited by pollinators, bees and butterflies.
More Stachys
- Big betony Stachys macrantha
- Lamb's ear Stachys byzantina
- Lamb's ear 'Big Ears' Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears'
- Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'
In these guides
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 20 in (50 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Late June to early August; upright spires; purple
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Comes from
- Europe, northwestern Africa, Caucasus, and Siberia
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Drought
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.