Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'
Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' · Lamiaceae
A dense, flat mat of woolly, silver-white leaves that rarely sends up a flower stem.
- Size
- 6 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid June to early July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'
The planner designed this bed around lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' 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 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' × 3, silver leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 15, pink
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 3, tan
- 4 Italian bugloss 'Dropmore' × 8, blue
- 5 Sea kale × 1, white
- 6 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 5, purple
- 7 Star of Persia × 5, purple
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 6 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 40% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 23 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 30 of the 30 plants (100%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. The flowering is at its height from late May, with 5 kinds out together. Low plants run along 96% of the front edge: Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' and lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 3 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' goes in a border
At 6 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
Lamb's ear without the gawky flower spikes, so the carpet stays even all summer. The best form for edging and for a silver ribbon along a path.
- A silver edging that needs no deadheading
- Groundcover in dry sun
- A plant for children to stroke
What to plant with lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': adds the flowers, mid May to mid September; a low mound at the foot of its spires; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
- English rose: adds the flowers, early June to early October; a low mound at the foot of its spires; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
- English lavender 'Hidcote': adds the flowers, late June to late July; a low mound at the foot of its spires; tall enough (18 in) to stand behind it.
Questions about lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'
Does lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' need sun or shade?
Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' 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.
How far apart should lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 in (15 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' 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 threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' 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 lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'?
Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' comes from Krym, Northern Turkey to Northern Iran. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade': the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Plantain-leaved pussytoes: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower.
- Heath aster 'Snow Flurry': the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers mid September to mid October, fine leaves, not medium.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by rooting stems into a wide mat. Divide it when the centre goes bare.
What does lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' look like in winter?
Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' 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 lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' good for bees and butterflies?
Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' is visited by butterflies.
More Stachys
- Betony 'Hummelo' Stachys officinalis 'Hummelo'
- Big betony Stachys macrantha
- Lamb's ear Stachys byzantina
- Lamb's ear 'Big Ears' Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears'
In these guides
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Plants with spires: vertical accents
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 6 in (15 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid June to early July; upright spires; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; silver
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Comes from
- Krym, Northern Turkey to Northern Iran
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, poor soil, black walnut, pollution
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). 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.