Wooly Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina), potted plant, organic

Family:  Mint (Lamiaceae)

Hardy to Zone 4 to 10

(Wooly Hedgenettle, Wooly Bettony, Woolly Lamb’s Ears) Evergreen perennial groundcover native to the Middle East, with soft and downy leaves, flowering purple to 26 inches.  I have noticed that plants with smooth skin (unless it be dry and leathery) are often quite frost sensitive, while woolly plants tend to be frost hardy, and this is so with woolly lamb’s ears.  The downy leaf also makes the plant exceptionally drought tolerant, looking healthy and unlikely to droop even if water supplies are thin, and sun is intense.  The plant has two growth phases, one in which it spreads horizontally to form a cushy mat (a low-growing groundcover), and the other when it sends up its stalks and flowers in handsome spikes.  Mainly used as a container plant in the city, it does well in planters along the sidewalk and is easy to upkeep while providing texture and color along what might otherwise be a drab and angular walkway.   Traditional usage (TWM): antioxidant, wounds, hemostatic.  Plant prefers full sun and is not particular about soil.  Space to 1 foot apart.  The plants will soon cover the area and self-mulch.

Potted plant,  Certified Organically Grown