Stachys ‘Big Ears’: colour, texture and loved by bees

Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’ is an attractive and useful evergreen perennial, perfect for the front or middle of a sunny mixed planting border. Forming a pleasing carpet of wooly silver-grey foliage, S. ‘Big Ears’ provides excellent weed-suppressing groundcover. Soft towers of pink/ purple flowers are abundant from early summer to mid-autumn, and are much loved by bees and butterflies.

 

Growing to 50cm tall and up to 75cm wide, S. ‘Big Ears’ is happiest in free-draining soils and full sun. It can cope with windy sites and is fairly drought-tolerant once it is established. It is easy to grow and doesn’t really require any essential maintenance, but established clumps can sometimes begin to look a little tired so can benefit from regular lifting and dividing in order to freshen things up.

 

Best used a ‘drifting’ plant to appear at regular intervals around a garden or larger border, we like to plant S. ‘Big Ears’ alongside Lavandula, Nepeta, Salvia and Verbena bonariensis.

 

 

Tythorne Garden Design provides professional fixed-fee garden design solutions for customers in Grantham, Stamford, Newark and surrounding areas. Let's see how we can help you to enjoy your garden more. Call us on 07900 224 239 or 01529 455 355.

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