What I do     Seed Starting     The Vegetable Garden     The Flower Garden    
The Fragrance Garden  Herbs   Winter Garden Delights    Water Gardening    Tips/Tricks   Humor   Organic Solutions    Garden Recipes   
Butterfly Gardening  Container Gardening   Garden Happenings  
Indoor Gardening   

FLOWERS -ageratum -astilbe -buddleia -coreopsis -daylily -hellebore -hollyhock -honeysuckle -iris -Knockout rose -lychnis -mini rose -moonflower -soapwort -stachys     VEGETABLES -tomatoes -peppers -corn -eggplant - lettuce    HERBS -basil -oregano -fennel -parsley

Stachys byzantina, "Helene Von Stein"
How many of us as children remember touching the fuzzy leaves of a plant described as Lamb's Ear?  I do, except that my mother had called it "Rabbit's Ear," and I suppose that was more appropriate, since we saw more rabbits than lambs in our suburban back yard.

There are several cultivars of Stachys (pronounced STAY-kis), and all grow in full sun.  They can take drought, but are prone to rot if grown in a poorly drained location.  They are wonderful in borders, forming dense mats of silvery-gray foliage that compliment the colors of any nearby plants.  It is perennial, and very hardy here in Missouri.

Cultivars
A more desirable cultivar than the old fashioned Lamb's Ear is Stachys byzantina "Helene Von Stein."   This plant boasts larger leaves, and has a more compact growth habit.  It is reluctant to bloom, but when it does, I prune off the spike, and the plant keeps its nice form. 
     Another variety that I am growing this year is Stachys coccinea. What a wonderful plant!  This is one variety that you will want to see in flower.  Small flowers appear on a spike in the center of the plant, and are light red in color.  It is absolutely lovely, and surprisingly little known.  I found Stachys coccinea harder to obtain locally, so I grew it from seed, and it bloomed in its first year. 

Maintenance
The flowers spikes of Stachys 'byzantina' are insignificant, and do not favor the beauty of the foliage.  Therefore, the plant seems to fare better if the flower spike is removed.  Allowing the plant go to seed usually results in deterioration of the foliage over the course of the season.   It also helps to remove dead foliage, or thin the center part of the plant a bit to allow for air circulation.