Deadnettle

Free-blooming deadnettles enliven difficult places in sun or shade. From spring on, whorls of brightly colored two-lip flowers bloom abundantly on square stems. The triangular green leaves are splashed with silver, or they are silver-rimmed or veined with emerald. Deadnettles have unfairly gotten a bad name for being invasive and somewhat weedy, but they are easy to corral and should be cut back and deadheaded regularly. They're fine in partly shaded and shaded places where soil is well-drained but retains moisture.

Light:

Part Sun,Shade

Zones:

4-8

Plant Type:

Perennial

Plant Height:

8-24 inches tall

Plant Width:

To 3 feet wide

Landscape Uses:

Containers,Beds & Borders,Slopes,Groundcover

Special Features:

Flowers,Attractive Foliage,Fragrant,Attracts Butterflies,Drought Tolerant,Tolerates Wet Soil,Deer Resistant,Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

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'Beacon Silver' lamium

Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' has thick whorls of purple-pink two-lip flowers from spring through fall if deadheaded routinely and not allowed to desiccate. The small triangular leaves are mostly silver with a bright green edge. Zones 4-8
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'Herman's Pride' yellow archangel

Lamium galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride' is more compact than the species. Its serrated leaves are crisply splashed with silver between the veins. In spring, whorls of yellow two-lip flowers bloom. Zones 4-8
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'White Nancy' lamium

Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy' bears 1-inch triangular silver leaves rimmed in emerald. From spring onward, dense whorls of two-lip clean-white flowers appear at the tips of the stems. Deadhead for prolonged blooming. Zones 4-8
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Garden Plans

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Shared Property Line Bed
Foundation Garden
Shady Side Yard Garden Plan
Side Garden
Waterside Retreat Garden Plan
Low-Water Garden Plan
Tropical-Look Garden Plan
No-Fuss Shade Garden Plan

Plant It With

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Wild ginger

In shade, evergreen European wild ginger forms low mats of glossy kidney-shape leaves that contrast well with the softer spotted deadnettle foliage.

Lilyturf

In spring, the grasslike silver-and-white striped leaves of 'Silver Dragon' lilyturf emerge in tidy clumps and remain through the season in striking contrast to the leaves of spotted deadnettle.

Heart-leaf brunnera

The spring forget-me-not flowers of brunnera give way to elegant clumps of heart-shape foliage that remains handsome. They combine well with deadnettle in shaded places.

Propagation

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Seed
Division
Stem Cuttings