Deer Resistant

Attracts bees and butterflies

A favorite for growing with kids, the lamb’s ear plant (Stachys byzantina) is sure to please in nearly any garden setting. This easy-care perennial has velvety soft, wooly evergreen leaves that are silver to gray-green in color. The foliage is also similar in shape to that of a real lamb’s ears, hence its name. If left to bloom in summer, lamb’s ear will produce spikes of pink to purple colored flowers too.

In addition to enjoying its attractive, fuzzy foliage, the leaves can be used as a “band-aid” of sorts for healing wounds and in helping painful bee stings.

The plant should be grown in full sun or partial shade. Although lamb’s ear can tolerate the poorest of soils, it should always be well-draining as the plant dislikes overly moist soil. This is especially true of shady areas. Lamb’s ear has many uses in the garden, though it is grown primarily for its foliage. The plant’s low-growing, mat-forming foliage makes it ideal for use as a ground cover. Plant them in open borders alongside other perennial plants or grow them in containers.