Lamium

Botanical/Latin
   Lamium

Pronunciation
   lay-me-um

Common Name
   Dead nettle

Hardiness zone range
   4 - 8

General Comments
Low spreading, highly colorful perennials with silvery or spotted semi-evergreen foliage, and pink or white flowers that appear first in late spring and continue through the summer into autumn. The flowers are carried at the tips of angular stems that creep, draw roots into the soil and spread outwards, making carpets of lush attractive foliage that is quick to establish but not invasive.

Uses
Excellent as ground cover in shady places, the low carpeting habit and luminous foliage is extremely valuable in a wide variety of applications. Shady woodland sites or beds shaded by tall walls or buildings are brought to life by the reflective quality of the silvery leaves and bright, showy flowers.

Forming mats of foliage and thriving in most soil types, it is a good way of reducing maintenance on shady sloping banks, in beds around ponds, pools, or along the edges of streams or mixed borders.

It is a wonderful "filler" in containers, scrambling over and down the sides of pots, window boxes, or hanging baskets. The long season of interest and silvery leaves mean it combines well with annuals, grasses, conifers or other perennials.

Light Preference
Prefers and thrives in light shade. Where even moisture is present, it will succeed in a variety of locations from bright sunny places to challenging, heavily shaded places.

Culture
Thriving best in fertile, evenly moist conditions, they respond to the addition of humus or other moisture retaining media to the soil. Under these circumstances, where humus rich soils are available, they will withstand short periods of drought.

To keep them strong, compact, and flowering with abundance, trim back the clumps after flowering (this can be done with shears or on larger scale with a trimmer). New fresh foliage will quickly regenerate and, shortly afterwards, this will be followed by a new crop of flowers. A light dressing with a well balanced fertilizer applied in spring and liquid feeding during the growing season will also keep them lush and healthy. Overgrown clumps can be divided in early spring or fall.

Background
There are about 40 species, of which only a few have garden merit. They are native to Europe and Western Asia, and are commonly known as dead nettles because the leaves resemble the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica); fortunately, they do not have the stinging effect and, therefore, they became known as the "dead" nettle.

The genus name comes from the Greek word, lainos (the throat), referring to the shape of the hooded flowers which curve backwards into a narrow throat containing nectar. This adaptation ensures that bees brush the reproductive parts of the flowers when extracting the nectar.

Splendor Suggestions
Get extra value by using them in containers with colorful annuals and tender perennials like our Patio Splendor Cannas, Callas or Dahlias.

At the end of the season when the tubers are dug out and stored for the winter, take the Lamium clumps, cut back the trailing foliage, and plant them out in the garden. Next spring they will grow out and establish as perennial border plants.

Companion Plants
The silvery white mats of low ground cover neutralize harsh and garish colors, so they will blend with almost anything. Under trees and large shrubs, they scramble and spread with ease and harmony. In mixed borders, they make excellent platforms to display upright plants like Siberian or Japanese Iris; try the rich, deep blue of Iris sibirica `Caesar's Brother' or the unusual combination of white and yellow in Iris `Butter & Sugar'; the upright spikes of Veronicas like `Sunny Border Blue' `Goodness Grows' `Red Fox', or `Minuet' are other alternatives.

For a really dramatic contrast, group them with the bold leaves of Hosta `Sum & Substance' or the spectacular blue leaved `Blue Angel' or `Krossa Regal'.

Height & Spread:
8 inches x 18 inches