Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet'

Lambs' ears, Stachys byzantina, is a well-known ground-covering perennial, grown for its soft, woolly foliage. Plants are particularly attractive to the solitary wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, which cards the fine hairs from the leaves to use as nesting material.

Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' has oval, woolly, grey leaves, but differs from other stachys types in that it rarely flowers. It's evergreen, which makes it an extremely useful front-of-border, mat-forming plant for year-round interest.

Grow Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' in moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Once established it's reasonably drought-tolerant, so will be happy in a dry, sunny site, or gravel garden. To propagate, divide plants as soon as growth starts in spring. Pair with plants such as Artemisia and Catananche caerulea, which enjoy similar growing conditions.