This family of herbaceous perennials can make attractive ground cover with its wide variety of foliage. Plant in dry ground between shrubs that give some shade from hot sun. Starting to flower in May many varieties go on until the first frost and p[rovide much needed pollen for bumblebees.

Gardeners Tips Growing Lamiums

• Plants are at their best when the weather is cooler in Spring and Autumn.
• Clip or deadhead plants that are looking untidy. That will encourage new foliage and flowering.
• Some varieties are very invasive, avoid Lamium galeobdolon ‘Florentium’.
• Lamiums Canon’s Gold and Beacon Silver tend to scorch in full sun.
• There are many varieties and plants that don’t live up to expectations, they should be composted.

Lamium Varietiess

• Lamium purpureum the ‘Red deadnettle’
• Some favourites include Lamium Maculatum ‘Elisabeth de Haas’ with mauve flowers and green, silver and yellow foliage or ‘Roseum’, ‘White Nancy’ or ‘Checkers’.
• Lamium aureum is less vigorous and does best in shade
• Lamium galebdolon is a shade loving deadnettle in variegated evergreen.

Photo Credits
Red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) by bramblejungleCC BY-NC 2.0