Stachys, Giant Lamb’s Ear

Other Names: Lambs Ears, Helene Von Stein Lamb's Ears

Description:

This cultivar produces leaves twice the size of regular lamb's ear; silvery green foliage is extremely soft and touchable; few flowers

Ornamental Features

Giant Lamb's Ear's attractive large tomentose oval leaves emerge silver in spring, turning grayish green in color throughout the season. It has masses of beautiful spikes of pink flowers rising above the foliage in early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes

Giant Lamb's Ear is a dense herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Giant Lamb's Ear is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover

Planting & Growing

Giant Lamb's Ear will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 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.

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 is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.