Lamb’s ear

Stachys byzantina

Description

Lamb’s ear has a good name; it is a low growing perennial with distinctive fuzzy foliage character like lamb ears. Plants reach 6-12 in. tall and can spread 2-3 ft. and more with surface runners. Gray leaves grow to 4 in. long and are soft, thick and covered with silvery hairs that have a woolly texture. Attractive flower stalks develop in late spring to early summer and contain numerous whorls of small purple flowers.

Lamb’s ear is native to Turkey, Armenia and Iran, and is adaptable to both heat and cold. It has been grown for many years in California as a perennial in warm climate zones and is easily established in Inland Empire gardens. It requires well-drained soils and grows best with regular moisture and in sunny locations. Wet leaves are subject to rot in humid climate zones and shady areas. Lamb’s ear is commonly planted along borders, around paving stones and in perennial gardens where it provides unique foliage character and color contrast with other plants.

Plant Type: Ground cover, Perennial
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Upright, Spreading
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Gray green
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Season: Summer, Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Cold hardy, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Grouped, Foliage accent plant, Flowering accent plant, Container plant, Commercial spaces, Borders, Attracts butterflies, Residential spaces, Raised planters, Hummingbird plant
Height: 6 in. – 12 in.
Width: 2 ft. – 3 ft.

Watering Schedule: Medium

For most situations, we recommend watering once per week after establishment, watering very deeply in summer, less deeply in fall and spring, and even less in winter.

See our recommendations for how much water to apply each time you water, below. Note that these recommendations are intended for inland valley areas of Southern California including the Inland Empire, San Gabriel, and San Fernando Valleys. People in cooler or warmer areas may use this as a baseline but should adjust based on local needs.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Seasonal Watering Recommendations

June – August: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 1.25” of irrigation.
September – October: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.
November – February: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.5” of irrigation.
March-May: once per week, water deeply, applying approximately 0.75” of irrigation.

Learn how to provide 1” of water to your landscape here, and adjust to provide more or less based on the recommendations above for each time of year.

Adjusting to your local needs

These recommendations for Medium / Moderate water demanding plants were created for Southern California inland valley areas. Southern California areas closer to the coast and along the coast will usually be able to water significantly less during the warm months of the year. For desert areas, check with local experts to be sure plants are appropriate for the area and anticipate needing to water more.

As a very general baseline, people in Los Angeles and similar areas can try setting a schedule of 80% of the in Spring, Summer, and Fall and adjust as necessary based on observation. The difference is less pronounced in the winter months, so we recommend starting with the same recommendations as above for winter. People in cooler coastal areas such as Santa Monica can try using this same approach but adjust to use 75% of the chart recommended minutes for the Spring, Summer, and Fall months.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another week, possibly longer. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering again.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.
“Smart timers” or weather sensitive irrigation controllers such as Rachio and Hunter Hydrawise are ideal for watering plants in this category because they will automatically adjust how much they water based on the weather so you do not need to reprogram the timer seasonally. Rebates for these types of irrigation controllers are available through socalwatersmart.com.

This is usually a short lived plant in southern California gardens. After looking healthy for a while in the garden, older leaves begin to turn brown. Plants are also troubled by snails and slugs. Remove brown or browning leaves as needed by pulling or clipping them. Also prune out dead flower stalks as needed. Some gardeners like to grow this plant for the silvery soft leaves, and love it as a plant for children to touch. If you feel compelled to grow it, consider growing in a pot, where it can function as an accent and be easily replaced when necessary (S,D). References