Musa (AAA group) 'Dwarf Cavendish'

Musa (AAA group) 'Dwarf Cavendish'

Drosanthemum hispidum

Drosanthemum hispidum

Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'

Lamb's Ears, Lamb's Ear, Woolly Hedgenettle
Size
ex 1.5L pots
Availability: Sold Out
£8.99
Quick Overview
  • Silvery foliage ground-cover
  • Leaves covered in fine silky hairs
  • Non-flowering form
  • Well-drained soil in full sun
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Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' is a low-growing mat-forming cultivar of Lamb's Ear that has exceptionally silvery foliage covered in the fine silky hairs that are so characteristic of this species. An asexual cultivar, it doesn't flower and is grown for its foliage and as a weed-suppressing ground-cover. It likes a gritty, well-drained soil in full sun and shouldn't be in constantly wet soil over winter. It dies down in the colder weather and when it reappears the new growth is green before gradually turning silver.

This form of Stachys byzantina originated from the Dewdrop Nurseries in Heacham, Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The nursery was established in the 1950's by W. Cunningham & Sons who moved into the old Fire Station in Pound Lane when it closed down. Hubert, John and Peter Cunningham ran Dewdrop Nurseries there until - like so many of the old nurseries - it was pulled down and became the now suburban Dewdrop Close. Somehow, Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' seems to embody some of the nostalgia and charm of the post-war 1950's and early 1960's era; an age not so long gone yet so different from our life in the 21st Century. In today's world, new cultivars tend not to gently make their way into horticultural cultivation from sleepy family-run establishments but are given all the fanfare of a massive product launch through global distributors after having first had the dubious practice of a plant patent applied. It was a time before plastic, when seed-trays were made of wood and labels were hand-written.


Additional Information

Order Lamiales
Family Lamiaceae
Sub-Family Lamioideae
Synonyms Eriostomum lanatum, Stachys lanata, Stachys lanata var. parvifolia, Stachys olympica, Stachys taurica
Geographical Origin Horticultural cultivar. Type species from Eurasia: Turkey, Armenia, Iran
Cultivation Full sun. Drought tolerant. Well drained gritty soil. A dryish aspect away from winter wet.
Eventual Height 10-15cm
Eventual Spread 60-200m - mat forming
Hardiness Hardy herbaceous perennial
Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'
Lamb's Ears, Lamb's Ear, Woolly Hedgenettle
Size
ex 1.5L pots
Availability: Sold Out
£8.99
You could receive 20 Palm Points for writing a review for this product.
Add to My Wishlist Add to Compare Email to a Friend
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