Alchemilla

Botanical/Latin
   Alchemilla

Pronunciation
   al-kem-Ill-ah

Common Name
   Lady's Mantle

Hardiness zone range
   3 - 7

General Comments
This delightful, easy to grow perennial with frothy, long lasting, yellowish green flowers blooms in late spring and early summer. The rounded gray-green leaves have scalloped edges and look exquisite when dew or rain droplets sit like sparkling beads in the early morning sunlight.

Uses
The neat, rounded, compact habit of Alchemilla lends itself nicely to drifts of ground cover and informal groupings along the fronts of beds and borders. It makes an excellent filler in various settings, including formal style landscapes. The flowers last well when cut and are widely used in flower bouquets in Europe. The flower markets in France, Belgium or Holland regularly carry it in their compositions Deer seem to find the foliage (which is covered with minute hairs) unpalatable.

Excellent "filler" in various settings, including formal style landscapes.

Light Preference
Partial Shade. Best in partial shade, Alchemilla will grow in deeper shade and even sunny conditions providing they have fertile soil and ample moisture.

Culture
Thriving best in rich, fertile, loamy soils that retain moisture in dry weather, Alchemilla responds to the addition of compost or other humus media to the soil. A regular light fertilization program and watering in dry weather also keeps them lush and healthy. Alchemilla is remarkably resilient and will tolerate most soils, except waterlogged ones. It will even take a degree of drought, but will not look quite so prosperous. After flowering, cut back dead heads and any old leaves; this will encourage fresh growth and another flush in early fall.

Background
Alchemilla is widely distributed throughout the world. Occurring on at least 3 continents, the garden forms hail mostly from the mountainous regions of Europe. The generic name, Alchemilla, is derived from an Arabic word alkemelych which referred to the supposedly magical power that this plant possessed. Ancient herbalists noticed that they had the power to dispel the dew and rain drops and grazing animals avoided eating the foliage until the droplets had dissipated so they included it as part of magic potions. The common name refers to the scalloped leaf edges which were said to resemble a sleeveless coat or cloak worn in the middle ages.

Splendor Suggestions
Once established, Alchemilla will usually set seed and seedlings appear at random in neighboring locations. To prevent (or control) this, it is important to remove the old flowers before the seed matures.

Companion Plants
Alchemilla associates well with flowers that are of white, yellow, blue, and purple shades. Try them with the architectural foliage of Japanese or Siberian Iris, like Iris 'Super Ego' or Iris ensata 'Murakumo'. They also look great with Nepetas like N. 'Blue Wonder' or N. 'Dropmore'. Because of its resilience and adaptability, it can also be combined under larger shrubs and small trees. Try with purple foliaged Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood', or with Korean Dogwood, Cornus kousa 'Chinensis'.

Height & Spread
18 inches x 24 inches