How Does Your Lamb's Ear Grow?

Lamb’s ear, like hosta, are grown primarily for their foliage. However, again like hosta, the issue of whether to allow them to flower or not is hotly contested among gardeners. One side believes that the ungainly flowers distract from the tidy appearance of the foliage. The other side enjoys the flowers for their odd beauty and attractiveness to bees. How do I prefer my lamb’s ear? Well, it depends.

In a rockery, where the plants are generally low growing, I agree that the tall flower spikes are unattractive. Stachys’ mat of silvery green leaves is its primary attraction in a rock garden. However, among taller perennials, like the pictured grouping with east friesland sage, the flowers blend well with their neighbors. It’s all in the context.

I can’t claim to have come to my decision to allow my lamb's ear to flower in any sort of a logical, preplanned way. I don’t cut the flower stalks off because I’m simply too soft-hearted. It seems almost cruel to whack off the long flower stalks. I just got lucky in that the result looks nice too. If I had a rockery, I suppose I’d clip, but it would break my heart.