Wednesday, June 25, 2008

An Aquired Taste

When I first discovered Lamb's Ears (stachys byzantina) I fell in love with its soft bluish gray color, soft fuzzy leaves and easy disposition. I just didn't like the flowers. I would go crazy trying to keep them all cut off, much like other plants that are grown mainly for their foliage. Eventually though, mother nature prevailed and there were more blooms than I could keep on top of so I just let them go and amazingly enough, I actually started appreciating their subtle beauty. And the bees love them too!

3 comments:

Niels Plougmann said...

A classic garden plant. I like the flowers, never understood why people would buy the flowerless variety: Stachys Byzantina "Silver Carpet". The leaves are so soft, that the name lambs ear is right on.

Aiyana said...

I've always loved Lamb's Ear, but only for the foliage. I wish I had known about this plant as a little kid. Our low desert is too hot for this plant in summer, but I've had it on occasion in the cooler six months of the year. I have to treat it as a seasonal annual.
Aiyana

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I really like the lambs ears and the flowers are nice too!! I have a few clumps around the yard I enjoy!! They are a fun plant with a cute name!