How to Grow and Care for Lamb's Ear

Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) is a ground cover grown for its thick, fuzzy, silvery foliage that creates a softly textured mat in the garden. Lamb's ear is an easy, fast spreader, does best in full sun in most areas, and thrives in somewhat poor, slightly acidic soil. This drought-tolerant perennial is also a good candidate for xeriscaping and rock gardens, remaining evergreen in warmer climates.

In addition to being part of the mint family, the velvety texture of lamb's ear makes this plant deer-resistant. However, lamb's ear is consumed in some parts of South America for its unusual fish-like taste and apple-like scent.

Lamb's Ear Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing lamb's ear.

• Grow lamb's ear in full or partial sun.
• Plant fast-spreading lamb's ear about 18 inches apart.
• Place lamb's ear in dry to medium-moisture soil in full sun but note it can be an excessively aggressive grower in rich soil.
• Avoid overwatering and only provide 1 inch of moisture a week; the plant does not like soggy soil.
• Keep leaves close to the ground as dry as possible by using mulch; lamb's ear does not like humidity but does well in a range of temperatures.
• Put down a thin layer of compost at the start of spring.

Light

Grow lamb's ears in full sun in cooler climates. In desert areas and high-heat locations, it can profit from partial shade. Excessive heat and dry conditions will cause the leaves to scorch.

Soil

This perennial thrives in poor soil that is well-draining with a slightly acidic pH. Treat lamb's ear like any other plant associated with a Mediterranean climate (many herbs fall into this category). Amend extremely poor soil with some organic matter just to improve drainage before planting.

Water

Lamb's ears only need about one inch of water per week. Water only if the soil feels dry. Avoid watering the top of the plants; the leaves will rot or develop fungal leaf spots or powdery mildew if they get too wet. Help keep the foliage dry by mulching underneath the leaves.

Temperature and Humidity

Lamb's ear grows well throughout its hardiness range (USDA zones 4a to 9a), and is evergreen in mild climates. In colder areas, leaves will die back in winter and reemerge in spring.

Lamb's ear cannot withstand humid conditions—it becomes susceptible to fungal leaf diseases.

Fertilizer

You can skip giving your lamb's ear fertilizer in most situations since it prefers poor soil. However, you can add a thin layer of compost every spring to spur growth.

Types of Lamb's Ear

Lamb's ear has many cultivars; these are a few of the most common:

• 'Big Ears' or 'Helen von Stein': This popular variety is known for its bigger leaves. It can go for years without blooming. This plant has relatively good disease resistance.
• 'Silver Carpet': This cultivar does not flower often and stays short, growing 4 to 6 inches tall with a spread of 9 to 18 inches, making this an excellent ground cover.
• 'Cotton Boll': This cultivar gets its name from the fuzzy, woolly formations on its flower stalks where flowers should emerge but often do not. Instead, it yields interesting-looking "cotton bolls."
• 'Big Ears': This low-growing and dense cultivar is bred to bloom sporadically. It produces large leaves that grow about a foot long.

Pruning

Cut away the dying foliage in the late fall (the end of the growing season) to the soil level for a tidy look. If you don't do this in the fall, you can cut away the dead foliage in the spring before new growth emerges.

Keep the plant's clumping growth healthy by removing the dead centers where the roots have died.

Pruning Tip

Looking for the best pruners to keep your lamb's ear in tip-top shape? We've tested plenty of pruners so you don't have to, and picked the12 best onesfor you to choose from. Always use sharp, sterile pruners to best care for your plants.

Propagating Lamb's Ear

Start a new patch of lamb's ear in the spring by digging up and relocating newer plants that self-seeded or dividing up established patches. These plants divide readily and benefit from a division every two or three years to keep them looking and remaining healthy. Flowering varieties may need to be divided more often than non-flowering forms.

A visual cue that you should divide is when you have a wide-spreading plant with a dead center. Here are the steps to dividing lamb's ear:

1. Find a new container (or growing location), well-draining soil, and gardening gloves.
2. If the roots are firmly packed and aren't budging, use a two-tined hand pitchfork to help you pry up the clump of lamb's ears.
3. Gently pull up the clump. By hand, remove the dead, wilted parts and roots.
4. Separate the clump into sections. Each section should have healthy fibrous roots.
5. Plant each section at least 18 inches apart. The plant's creeping stems will root wherever they contact the soil.

How to Grow Lamb's Ear From Seeds

If the lamb's ear has flowered and you have harvested the seeds or have access to lamb's ear seeds, the best time to start seeds is indoors in the late winter—8 to 10 weeks before the last frost. Take these quick steps:

1. Moisten a good quality seed starting soil.
2. Press the seed into the soil but do not cover. The seed needs light to germinate.
3. Keep the soil moistened throughout the germination process.
4. You can also sow seeds outdoors after the threat of frost has passed.
5. It takes about 30 days for seeds to germinate.
   

Potting and Repotting Lamb's Ear

Lamb's ear is not usually kept as a potted plant, though it is sometimes used as a fill-in plant for large container gardens. It only needs water about once a week. Make sure lamb's ear has similar watering needs to the other plants in the container.

Container Type

Consider using clay or terra-cotta planters with ample drainage holes to help prevent overwatering issues.

Overwintering

Lamb's ear will die back in the winter, but it usually rebounds in the spring. Shear the entire plant at the soil level at the end of the growing season to maintain its health and growth habits.

Leaving dead leaves and growth puts the plant at more risk of pests and disease like root rot, pests, or other diseases that might take hold.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Lamb's ear is not very susceptible to pest invasion, thanks to its hairy leaves. But it is prone to fungal disease due to its sensitivity to humid conditions and poorly draining soil. In the humid months of summer, it can develop rot and leaf spots, even if the soil is well-draining. Remove and discard affected plants.

Diseased foliage can sometimes attract sowbugs, which are not insects but a woodlouse, a land crustacean that feeds on fungi and bacteria on dead and rotting vegetation. To get rid of sowbugs, spread diatomaceous earth—a desiccant that dries out and kills sowbugs—on top of the soil around the plants.

Always Disinfect Pruners

Plants can be highly sensitive to bacteria that are transmitted to the plant via pruning tools, pots, and potting medium. Make sure todisinfect your pruning shearsand containers, and only purchase potting medium from a reputable source.

How to Get Lamb's Ear to Bloom

Because of their suede-like texture, lamb’s ears are favored for their foliage rather than their flowers. However, some varieties do flower on tall spikes in the late spring or early summer, in shades of pinkish-purple or white.

Bloom Months

Flowers will appear on lamb's ears in the late spring into early summer of its second year of growth.

What Do Lamb's Ear's Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Spikes with tiny flowers can reach 12 to 18 inches tall above the foliage but the rest of the plant stays low to the ground. The color of the silvery foliage stands out when experimenting withcolors in your landscape design. When freshly crushed, the plant has a vaguely sweet, apple-like smell.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Spur blooms by deadheading and making sure your lamb's ear is growing in full sun.

Common Problems With Lamb's Ear

Rotting Leaves

Lamb's ears like to spread, and as it lays new roots the central, old roots die. It's common to see dead central roots—expect it and pull them out. You can prevent significant root death by keeping the soil dry and thinning the plants.

Spots on Leaves

Lamb's ear is prone to fungal infections from organisms that create brown, black, powdery yellow, or white spots. Discard infected leaves and decomposing matter, use an antifungal spray, and make sure the plant has plenty of air circulation.

Stunted Growth

Microscopic nematodes are slender, unsegmented roundworms that feed on all parts of the plant. An infested plant will look sickly, wilted, or stunted, with yellowed or bronzed leaves, and eventually die. Unfortunately, the best way to eliminate the problem is to dispose of the plant.

From: thespruce