Colorful Combinations
In addition to lamb’s ear varieties providing so much tactile joy, the silvery foliage also serves as the perfect backdrop for many other plants. The flower stalks are generally 12-18 inches tall, with small purple, white, red, or pink blooms. The soft hairs on the leaves and stems help prevent plant moisture loss, making it exceptionally drought tolerant. Plus, the hairs help prevent damage from deer and other creatures snacking on the plant, perhaps because the animals don’t enjoy the texture of the leaves.
Lamb’s Ear Care Must-Knows
Lamb’s ear varieties can withstand poor soil conditions and drought. One thing it will not tolerate, however, is soggy soil. This plant performs best in full-sun conditions, but it can withstand some shade. The plant will look greener in the shade because it will produce fewer dense hairs. This plant can be a vigorous grower in the garden, even verging on invasive in some areas of the country. Lamb’s ear produces creeping stems that root along the soil, creating dense mats of foliage. The roots aren’t very thick, so the plants can easily be pulled up where you don’t want them. However, this spreading habit makes lamb’s ear a good choice for a groundcover in full sun or poor soil situations. Lamb’s ear also easily seeds itself around, so removing the flower stalks before they go to seed will reduce spreading.
More Lamb’s Ear Varieties
Lamb’s-ears
Stachys byzantina has silvery, felted, 6-inch-long leaves that make a soft mat. In early summer, upright stems bloom bearing cerise-magenta flowers. It grows 18 inches tall and is hardy in Zones 4-8.
‘Big Ears’ lamb’s ears
Stachys officinalis ‘Big Ears’, also sold as ‘Helene von Stein’, is a variety of lamb’s ears named for its extra-large, fuzzy silver leaves. It seldom blooms, so requires little deadheading. Mature plants grow 8-10 inches tall. Zones 3-10
Wood betony
Also called bishop’s wort, wood betony (Stachys officinalis) was used by ancient healers for nearly everything from curing coughs to deworming. Today it’s mainly grown to draw pollinators to the garden. The plant’s attractive flowers are reddish purple and lure bees. Mature plants grow to about 2 feet tall. Zones 4-8
‘Rosea’ wood betony
Stachys officinalis ‘Rosea’ is a lighter pink version of wood betony. It has the same pollinator-attracting qualities, providing a summer-long display of spires of small pink flowers above compact clumped foliage. Mature plants grow to about 2 feet tall. Zones 4-8
Big betony
Stachys macrantha bears purple flowers from early summer to fall on 2-foot stems. Zones 5-7
‘Saharan Pink’ betony
Stachys monieri ‘Saharan Pink’ is a petite version of ‘Hummelo’ betony with two-tone pink flowers. It grows just 1 foot tall in bloom, with a spread of about 8 inches. Deadhead spent flowers to prevent the plant from self-seeding. Zones 4-8
Lamb’s Ear Companion Plants
Black-Eyed Susan
Add a pool of sunshine to the garden with a massed planting of black-eyed Susan. From midsummer, these tough native plants bloom their golden heads off in sun or light shade and mix well with other perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Tall varieties look especially appropriate among shrubs. Add black-eyed Susan to wildflower meadows or native plant gardens for a naturalized look. Average soil is sufficient, but it should hold moisture fairly well.
Daylily
Daylilies are so easy to grow you’ll often find them in ditches and fields, escapees from gardens. And yet they look so delicate, producing glorious trumpet-shaped blooms in numerous colors. In fact, there are some 50,000 named hybrid cultivars in a range of flower sizes (the minis are very popular), forms, and plant heights. Some are fragrant. The flowers are borne on leafless stems. Although each bloom lasts only a single day, superior cultivars carry several buds on each scape, so bloom time is long—especially if you deadhead daily. The strappy foliage may be evergreen or deciduous.
Garden Plans for Lamb’s Ear
Design for a Moon Garden
Nighttime is the right time to enjoy a garden of bright whites, fragrant blooms, and a comfortable seat. Get this garden plan.
Summer Cottage Garden Plan
Stately delphiniums are the backbone of this colorful cottage garden plan. Get this garden plan.
Garden Plan to Soften a Fence
The exciting plants included in this design will provide long-lasting color, fragrance, and texture that will leave you saying, “What fence?” Get this garden plan.
Summer-Blooming Front-Yard Cottage Garden Plan
Create charm and curb appeal in your front yard with this lush, beautiful cottage garden plan. Get this garden plan.
Long-Blooming Rock Garden Plan
This colorful rock garden is designed around a couple of very large boulders, but could easily be adapted to any rock garden setting. Get this garden plan.
Fabulous Fall-Garden Plan
Create a burst of fall color in your landscape with this easy-care garden plan. Get this garden plan.
Low-Water Garden Plan
No matter where you live, it’s inevitable that plants will take defeats in the middle of July. Count on this easy-care garden to stay looking good through dry spells. Get this garden plan.
