Stachys |
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The Stachys group (pronounced STAY kiss) is an interesting family with a variety of characters and a long, long history. To me, the family falls into three distinct groups. The most familiar to gardeners is the wooly, silver-leaved plant generally called Lamb’s Ears. This hardy perennial is famous as a spreading groundcover that forms dense mats in sun to light shade, in well-drained soils. Most lamb’s ears (Stachys lanata or byzantina) produce 12-20” tall flower spikes with tiny purple-pink flowers that if left uncut self-seed abundantly. When the lambs ears bloom, the bumblebees and honeybees are happy. There are many varieties of lamb’s ears, including a huge-leaved one that is more gray than silver called either “Big Ears” or “Helene von Stein” and a non-flowering one called “Silver Carpet.” A recent dwarf introduction is “Silky Fleece” with leaves that barely reach 3” in height and bloom stalks of only 10”. Other commonly found varieties are “Fuzzy Wuzzy” and “Cotton Boll.” The leaves of lamb’s ears have a long history of medicinal and craft uses. One of its folk names is “bandage plant” because it is used like a band-aid over cuts and scrapes. It has also been used to pack wounds to stop bleeding. The leaves can be shaped and dried in wreaths or bows. Another plant that I place in this group has the folk name “Downy Woundwort.” It is very similar to common lamb’s ears, but it is less silvery and less wooly. It also grows taller, often reaching three feet in my garden. ![]() Silky Fleece
There are also the white-flowered Stachys discolor, Stachyts recta, and a low-growing variety called Stachys densiflora "alba" which forms a pretty groundcover.
Stachys monieri has lovely pink or purple-rose flowers. Plant breeders have been working with color range and increasing the flower stalk and bloom size of wood betony. Recently, a lovely, fluffy pink variety was introduced called "Pink Cotton Candy."
All of these tidy betony plants have a rosette of dark green glossy leaves, each of which has a beautiful scalloped or toothed edge. Mine grow well in full sun or part shade, well-drained soils in winter, although they tend to wilt a bit during the hottest months if not watered occasionally. In summer, the plants produce 18” spikes of very pretty purple, pink or white blooms that are loved by butterflies and bees. Stachys officinalis has a long history of value in magic, medicine, tea, and even a bit of culinary use, and the flowering spikes are lovely in fresh floral arrangements. ![]() Pow Wow Most of the lore surrounding the Stachys family relates to Betony. It was said to be discovered by Chiron the Centaur. Legend says when snakes are placed in a ring of betony, they will battle one another to the death, and that wounded animals seek betony to be healed. ![]()
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