Lamb's ear

Woolly hedgenettle has earned the folk names bunny or lamb's ears for its incredible softness. The 'Silver Carpet' cultivar lives up to its name, creating the densest silvery carpet you can imagine in a garden. Unlike the original botanical species, it hardly blooms at all, which is a great advantage in this case. The plant invests all its energy into forming dense, felted leaves that remain beautiful even in winter and form a compact ground-cover layer. It originally comes from the rocky and dry regions of Turkey and Iran, so it loves full sun and well-drained, sandy soil. In the garden, it perfectly serves as an unconventional and pleasant-to-touch border for flower beds or as a lawn replacement in dry areas where you don't want to worry about watering. Furthermore, its silvery color beautifully calms and unifies colorful plantings of perennials.

Lamb's ear has earned its common name for its irresistibly soft, silvery felted leaves. The original species comes from the stony and sunny slopes of Turkey and Iran, making it an ideal candidate for drought-tolerant and gravel beds. The plant spreads willingly, creating dense, continuous carpets that act as groundcover in the garden and effectively suppress weeds. The Cottons Boll cultivar is a true unique among lamb's ears. Firm, upright stems emerge from the basal rosette of leaves, carrying striking spherical flower clusters that resemble open cotton bolls in shape. The tiny purple-pink flowers are hidden in felt-like bracts and attract large numbers of bees and bumblebees. This perennial is also highly valued in floristry. Fresh stems add interesting structure and a silvery accent to bouquets; furthermore, they are excellent for drying, as they reliably hold their shape. Even in the winter months, the foliage remains decorative and brings an interesting visual element to the garden.

Betony Superba, also known as Stachys, is a perennial you will fall in love with for its low maintenance and striking inflorescences. It originally comes from the mountain meadows of the Caucasus, where it grows on sunny slopes, and thanks to this, it is completely frost-resistant and hardy here. It forms dense carpets of deep green, wrinkled leaves, above which sturdy stems with large, purplish-pink flowers stand tall in June and July. These are literally a magnet for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies, providing them with a rich source of nectar. In the garden, it is perfectly suited for mixed perennial beds or as an underplanting beneath taller shrubs, where it reliably suppresses weeds in both sun and partial shade. If you like creating bouquets, betony will also please you as a cut flower; it will last to make a show in a vase for quite a long time. It is a long-lived plant that will last in one place for many years without the need for frequent transplanting or complex care.

Big betony, or also large-flowered betony, belongs to the perennials that will catch your eye at first sight with their robustness and elegance. It is native to the mountain meadows of the Caucasus and northern Iran, where it decorates sunny grassy slopes. In the garden, it creates dense ground-level clumps of deep green, heart-shaped leaves with distinct crinkling, which look very decorative throughout the season and reliably suppress weeds. From June to August, sturdy upright stems rise above this green carpet, topped with spike-like inflorescences in a rich purplish-violet shade. The flowers are literally a magnet for bees, bumblebees, and other pollinators, so you will bring a lot of buzzing life to the garden with it. This long-lived and reliable perennial is an ideal choice even for beginning growers because it does not suffer from diseases or pests and handles winter frosts excellently. It thrives best in full sun or partial shade in well-drained, loamy soil that retains some moisture. Thanks to its height of about 40 to 60 cm, it is perfectly suited for the edges of flower beds or as an undergrowth beneath taller shrubs and roses. Betony is also a rewarding plant for cutting into summer bouquets, where its striking color and sturdy stem will continue to bring joy for several days.

Betony, or Stachys, Morning Blush is a reliable perennial that will win you over not only with its flowers but also with its leaf structure. The original species comes from the mountain meadows of the Caucasus and northern Turkey, where it grows in sunny and slightly moist habitats. In the garden, it creates dense, compact clumps of wrinkled, deep green leaves that work as great ground cover and suppress weed growth. Above them, from May to July, sturdy upright stems carrying large deadnettle-like flowers rise. It is a magnet for bees and bumblebees, which find a rich source of nectar in the flowers. The Morning Blush cultivar is exceptional for its delicate coloring. Unlike the more common purple varieties, it offers a palette from pure white to softly pinkish, bringing light and elegance to flower beds. It fits into country gardens as well as more modern perennial plantings, where it contrasts beautifully with darker plants. The inflorescences are also suitable for cutting into a vase, where they stay fresh for several days. It is a long-lived and undemanding plant that handles our winters perfectly and requires almost no care.

You will instantly fall in love with Lamb's ear 'Silky Fleece' for its incredibly soft leaves, which tempt you to stroke them and resemble animal ears. This perennial, native to the rocky and dry hillsides of the Caucasus and Iran, is a master of survival in full sun and well-drained, sandy soil. Thanks to its silvery-grey, felt-like leaves, it creates a wonderful contrast to green plants in the garden and works as a perfect groundcover carpet that does not lose its beauty in winter. It is an ideal choice for novice gardeners, as it requires almost no care, does not suffer from diseases or pests, and perfectly handles even freezing days. The 'Silky Fleece' cultivar is specific for its low and compact growth, reaching a height of only about 15 centimeters. In the summer months, from June to August, tiny lilac flowers appear above the silver cushion; although they are not suitable for cutting into a vase, they reliably attract bees and other pollinators. The plant is best suited for the edges of flower beds, rockeries, or as a filler for empty spaces, where it forms a dense, weed-suppressing cover. Although it is not suitable for drying or bouquets, its value lies in the year-round structure and tactile experience it brings to every garden.