Pronounciation: Sta-keys by-zan-TEE-na

Hardiness zones
Sunset All zones (some colder zones as a summer annual)
USDA All zones (some colder zones as a summer annual)

Landscape Use: Soft textual accent and low spreading ground gover for shaded mesic rock gardens, container plants.

Form & Character: Low, spreading, soft, delicate, velvety, soft as a bunny, peaceful, quiet.

Growth Habit: Herbaceous perennial, slowly clumping and spreading (in desert climates) 6- to 12-inches tall and 2- to 5-feet wide.

Foliage/Texture: Flattened, densely pubscent, greyish green to greenish white, elongated ovate leaves to 2- to 4-inches long with a shortened petiole; medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Inconspicuous small, sessile, purple flowers on a spike; should be removed upon emergence.

Seasonal Color: None.

Temperature: Cold tolerant to 0^oF, but struggles mightly in summer heat above 100^oF.

Light: Partial to full shade, eastern exposures to morning sun best. Absolutely NO western afternoon sun or western exposures during summer in Phoenix.

Soil: Well-drained best.

Watering: Regular supplemental water is typically required.

Pruning: None, except to only contain spread if it ever becomes problematic.

Propagation: Division of clumps or asexual propagation of rhizomes.

Disease and Pests: Root rot only if soil is chronically wet.

Additional comments: Lamb's ear is a wonderful, 'old fashion', perennial border plant. Lamb's ear plants usually dieback or become severely heat stressed during Phoenix summer months. In my opinion, lamb's ear plants are better suited for cooler higher elevation Arizona landscape gardens in the Arizona cities and towns of Flagstaff, Williams, Show Low, Sedona, Cottonwood, Benson, Sierra Vista, Prescott and Payson.

Prominent lamb's ear cultivars include:

• 'Big Ears' - leaves very large, up to 1-foot tall.
• 'Cotton Ball' - a sterile cultivar that does not produce flowering stems. Asexually propagated.
• 'Primrose Heron' - leaves yellow in spring; flowers pink.
• 'Sheila Macqueen' - sterile; low-growing; leaves large.
• 'Silky Fleece' - grows 1-foot tall with lilac-plum flowers, produce smaller white-woolly foliage. Seed propagated.
• 'Silver Carpet' - sterile, no flowers; leaves grey. Asexually propagated.
• 'Striped Phantom' - leaves variegated.

Minor factoid: There are about 300 different species of Stachys.