How to Grow and Care for Spotted Dead Nettle

Spotted dead nettle is a perennial groundcover that grows as an evergreen in warm regions and as a semi-evergreen, herbaceous plant everywhere else. It prefers growing in acidic soil in the shade and is particularly helpful for filling bare patches of ground that weeds would otherwise take over.

Although it has a bitter, peppery taste, spotted dead nettle is edible, and it contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. It is used in teas, salad, stew, quiche, and smoothies.

Spotted Dead Nettle Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a spotted dead nettle:

• Choose a spot with partial sunlight or in the shade.
• Plant in loamy, well-draining soil.
• Water regularly, and don't let the soil dry out.
• Prepare for it spread easily wherever its stems touch the soil.

Warning

Spotted dead nettle grows aggressively and is invasive in Kentucky.

Light

Grow spotted dead nettles in full to partial shade. Theywill not require much waterwhen grown in full shade, which (along with their resistance to deer pests) makes them a good choice for low-maintenance landscaping. They are one of the best perennials for shade.

Soil

Install the plants in acidic, well-drained, loamy soil. If your soil has a lot of clay, add compost to improve drainage.

Water

Spotted dead nettles tolerate evenshady areas that have dry soil. This ground cover requires very little care at allif planted in full shade. However, the more sunshine you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil.

Temperature and Humidity

Spotted dead nettle has a wide growing range, perennial in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8, but it does not do well in very warm, humid locations.

Fertilizer

Compost should be sufficient, as the plants do not require rich soil. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil.

Types of Spotted Dead Nettle

There are also several cultivars of the L.maculatum, including:

• Purple Dragon: Purplish flowers and silver foliage
• White Nancy: White flowers, silvery leaves
• Beedham's White: White flowers, leaves chartreuse and white
• Cannon's Gold: Pink flowers, chartreuse foliage
• Orchid Frost: Pink-purple flowers; leaves silver in the center andgreen at the edge; known for its disease-resistance
• Anne Greenway: Mauve flowers; green,chartreuse, and silver leaves
• Aureum: Pink flowers; leaves golden on the edge, white in the center
• Ghost: Light-purple flowers; leaves almost wholly silver; taller (up to 14 inches) than the typicalL. maculatum, and even the individual leaves bigger than on most kinds

Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles

While dead nettle plants areflowering perennials,stinging nettles, by contrast,arenoxious weeds(but edible when properly prepared). Stinging nettles also grow quite tall.

The unusual common name of "dead nettles" alludes to the fact that, while it resembles stinging nettles, the stingers are dead on L. maculatum, rendering it harmless.

Pruning

Spotted dead nettles should be pruned in the summer after the first blooming period. Cutting the stems with clean pruners will stimulate new growth. Mature plants that have gotten "leggy" should be cut down to just above the ground, which will then grow back into a bushy, compact plant.

Any solid green leaves should be snipped out. Otherwise, the plant will lose the variegated leaves and become all green.

These plants spread out, and you can keep them under control by pruning, too. Cut them to the height you prefer and thin them out if they're getting too thick by cutting some branches throughout the plant back to the ground.

Propagating Spotted Dead Nettle

While they can self-seed themselves, spotted dead nettles do not do well if you try to grow them from seed. Spotted dead nettles propagate easily by themselves from runners, by dividing, or from cuttings. Here's how:

Runners

1. Locate where the runners have rooted themselves into the ground.
2. Cut the runner off with pruning shears, plant it in another spot, and then water it.

Division

1. Carefully dig up the entire plant.
2. Using a knife, divide it into sections.
3. Replant them in a suitable location and water.

Cuttings

1. Select a branch and cut it off the plant.
2. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch.
3. Push the bare part of the branch into the soil at the desired location and water.
   

Potting and Repotting Spotted Dead Nettle

Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. Plant them with an assortment of other flowering plants in a container garden to have sitting on your porch and lanai, or they trail beautifully from a hanging basket.

Simply put some potting soil mix in a container or hanging basket that has drainage holes, and plant the spotted dead nettle, then water. Keep in mind that smaller containers will require watering more often.

Plant it with an assortment of flowering plants, including paperwhites, cyclamen, and coral bells. Whatever you decide to mix it with, remember to select plants that need partial to full shade.

When repotting, hold your hand over the soil base and plant. Turn the pot upside down. Gently tap the bottom to loosen the plant.

Overwintering

This plant is deciduous in areas with colder weather but stays semi-evergreen in other regions. Depending on where you live, you can cut spotted dead nettles back after the first frost or in the late autumn to encourage new growth in the springtime.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Spotted dead nettles have few problems in northern regions. Among other good features, they are deer-resistant plants.

In the South, however, they may develop problems with leaf spotting and downy mildew due to the high humidity. Downy mildew can look like yellow, purple, or brown spots on leaves, eventually killing the plant if left untreated, covering the entire plant in gray, fuzzy mold.

Destroy all infected parts of the play, spray the rest with fungicide to kill any remaining mildew, and repeat as necessary. Provide extra spacing between plants to lessen these fungal problems.

Common pests for spotted dead nettles are slugs and snails, which seem to be the main pests for this plant, although aphids can also attach themselves to the stems and leaves.

How to Get Spotted Dead Nettle to Bloom

Bloom Months

Spotted dead nettle flowers from late spring to early summer. Some types bloom throughout the entire growing season.

How Long Does Spotted Dead Nettle Bloom?

Blooms typically last about six weeks. However, the plant may bloom from April to November in optimal climate conditions. Pruning after the first bloom can spur reblooming.

What Do Spotted Dead Nettle Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The flowers occur in groups, usually two to eight blooms at the end of floral stems, in pink, purple, or white. Each flower is about 3/4 inch, looking much like a hood with two lips, with a top part and bottom cowl protecting the stamen and pollen in the center. They don't have a discernible scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Pruning after the first bloom should produce a second set of flowers. Deadheading will encourage more blooms.

Common Problems With Spotted Dead Nettle

Spotted dead nettle is a low-maintenance and easy plant to grow. It's a shade-happy plant, so climate and sun conditions can adversely affect these plants.

Appears to Die in Summer

Spotted dead nettle does not handle intense heat, sun, and high temperatures well; it may appear to die during periods of sweltering heat or may get bare patches during heat waves.

During these times, the plant needs more water. Leaf scorch may also occur if the soil is allowed to dry out or the plants don't have protection from the sun.

From: thespruce