Lamb's ear
Stachys byzantina · Lamiaceae Popular
Soft, fuzzy silver leaves make it a favourite for edging and for softening bolder colours around it. Many gardeners remove the flower stalks to keep the foliage looking neat.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid June to mid July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around lamb's ear
The planner designed this bed around lamb's ear 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lamb's ear × 5, silver leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 15, pink
- 3 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 4 Showy goldenrod × 1, yellow
- 5 Leadplant × 1, purple
- 6 Wild quinine × 5, white
- 7 Star of Persia × 5, purple
- 8 Daffodil × 8, orange
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for star of Persia. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 66% of the edge.
- 5 plants in 2 runs (3 and 2). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Beside star of Persia. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 13 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as a cottage garden: 21 of the 30 plants (70%), bulbs aside, stand alone or in groups of no more than five, small enough for the kinds to mingle. Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' is planted in three places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Lamb's ear and Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' finish the front edge.
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 lamb's ear goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
Silver foliage separates colours that would otherwise fight, and it glows at dusk. Use it as a low ribbon at the front. It rots in wet, humid conditions, so keep it in lean soil with air around it.
- Silver edging in hot, dry beds
- A foil that cools down strong colours
- Children's and sensory gardens
What to plant with lamb's ear
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': adds the flowers, late June to late July; fine leaves against its bold ones; a low mound at the foot of its spires.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': adds the flowers, mid August to mid October; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Russian sage: adds the flowers, mid July to mid September; fine leaves against its bold ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about lamb's ear
Does lamb's ear need sun or shade?
Lamb's ear 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 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 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 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lamb's ear 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 five in two groups.
Is lamb's ear 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?
Lamb's ear 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; 4 in shorter, medium leaves, not bold.
- Plantain-leaved pussytoes: the same job in a bed; 6 in shorter, 6 in narrower.
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?
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 spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads steadily by creeping stems and can self-seed. Easy to pull out, but it needs a firm edge.
What does lamb's ear look like in winter?
Lamb's ear 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 good for bees and butterflies?
Lamb's ear is visited by butterflies.
More Stachys
- Betony 'Hummelo' Stachys officinalis 'Hummelo'
- Big betony Stachys macrantha
- Lamb's ear 'Big Ears' Stachys byzantina 'Big Ears'
- Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet' Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'
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
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid June to mid July; upright spires; purple
- Leaves
- Bold 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. 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.