Image above sourced from iStock Photo.
Common Name: Lambs Ears
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 0.75 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May to July
Bloom Description: Purplish-pink
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Colorful
Tolerate: Rabbit, Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil, Black Walnut, Air Pollution
Information sourced from Missouri Botanical Garden
About Lambs Ear Plant (Stachys byzantina)
Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) is a low-growing perennial beloved for its velvety, silver-gray foliage that resembles the soft texture of a lamb’s ear. Lambs Ear plant thrives in sunny, dry climates and is often used as a groundcover or border plant.
Its tactile quality, drought tolerance, and ability to soften hard edges make it a popular choice among gardeners and designers alike.
Foliage Texture and Color
The thick, woolly leaves offer a silvery hue that adds softness and contrast to green-heavy plantings. Their unique tactile quality invites touch and engages the senses, making Lambs Ear a favorite for sensory gardens and children’s spaces.
Growth Habit
Lambs Ear forms dense mats that spread horizontally, making it an effective groundcover to suppress weeds and fill bare spots. Its creeping form hugs the soil, making it suitable for tight spaces and slope coverage.
Flowering Characteristics
In late spring to early summer, Lambs Ear produces spikes of small, purple-pink flowers, though many gardeners grow it primarily for its foliage. The flower stalks rise above the leaves, adding vertical interest, though they can be trimmed if a cleaner look is preferred.
Maintenance Requirements
This plant is low-maintenance, requiring well-drained soil and minimal water once established—making it ideal for xeriscaping and low-water gardens. It’s also deer-resistant and tolerant of poor soils, adding to its versatility in challenging planting sites.
Applications in Landscape Design with Lambs Ear Plant (Stachys byzantina)
Lambs Ear offers far more than good looks—it’s a versatile plant that plays a supporting or starring role in various landscape scenarios. Its soft texture contrasts beautifully with coarse, upright plants, and its low stature makes it ideal for edging, pathways, and mixed borders.
Pathway Edging
Its low profile and tactile foliage make it a charming edge along walkways, inviting touch and visual interest. It softens hard materials like stone, brick, or gravel, creating a natural and welcoming transition between paving and planting.
Groundcover Massing
Use Lambs Ear in large groupings to create a silver carpet that cools down hot color palettes and unifies planting beds. When massed together, it forms a cohesive visual field that highlights focal points and frames larger shrubs or sculptural plants.
Container Planting
Ideal for patio containers, Lambs Ear adds soft, silvery foliage that pairs well with succulents, herbs, or trailing vines. Its drought tolerance makes it well-suited for container gardens in sunny locations with infrequent watering.
Accent for Sculptural Plants
Its fuzzy texture highlights the structural drama of agaves, ornamental grasses, or bold perennials like echinacea. It plays a visual supporting role, helping architectural plants stand out even more through contrast and balance.
Garden Design Styles Featuring Lambs Ear Plant (Stachys byzantina)
Lambs Ear fits beautifully into a range of design aesthetics, from relaxed cottage gardens to highly controlled minimalist schemes. Its adaptable form and foliage color allow it to blend or stand out, depending on the designer’s intent.
Cottage Gardens
Pair it with lavender, salvia, and roses for a romantic, layered look that thrives in full sun. Lambs Ear’s softness enhances the charm of blooming companions while providing a year-round base of texture and color.
Mediterranean Landscapes
Its drought-tolerant nature and silvery leaves make it a perfect fit among olive trees, thyme, and terra cotta tones. It reflects sunlight beautifully and withstands the arid conditions common in Mediterranean-style gardens.
Modern Minimalist Gardens
Lambs Ear offers clean texture and color contrast in sleek, gravel-filled beds or geometric planting layouts. The repetitive use of its soft foliage can bring unity and elegance to contemporary outdoor spaces.
Children’s Sensory Gardens
The soft leaves and low-growing form make it an ideal plant for hands-on, interactive garden spaces designed for kids. It provides a safe, tactile experience and introduces children to plant diversity through sensory exploration.
Top Cultivars of Lambs Ear with Companion Plants
While the classic Stachys byzantina is widely loved, several Lambs Ear plant varieties offer refined traits for specific uses. Pairing the right cultivar with complementary plants can elevate a planting scheme’s performance and aesthetic appeal.
Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’
Stachys byzantina big ears has larger leaves and a more robust form make this cultivar ideal for bold accents; pair with blue fescue and Russian sage for a cool-toned palette. Its oversized leaves create dramatic visual impact in open garden beds or alongside boulders.
Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’
Stachys byzantina silver carpet is a sterile cultivar rarely flowers and focuses on dense foliage coverage—great with creeping thyme and sedum for a textured ground layer. It stays compact and tidy, making it ideal for modern landscapes or between stepping stones.
Stachys byzantina ‘Helene von Stein’
Stachys byzantina helene von stein is known for its oversized, non-flowering leaves and heat resistance, it works beautifully with echinacea and yarrow in sunny borders. Its vigorous growth habit fills in space quickly, helping to establish a mature garden look faster.
Stachys byzantina ‘Primrose Heron’
Features pale yellow-tinged foliage; pair with purple-toned plants like heuchera or lavender for dynamic contrast. Its unusual coloring adds a layer of nuance and light to monochromatic or pastel garden palettes.
Why Lambs Ear is Beneficial to Landscapes
Beyond aesthetics, Lambs Ear provides practical benefits to the landscape, from ecological support to ease of maintenance. Its qualities make it a favorite among sustainable designers and gardeners seeking longevity in their plant choices.
Drought Tolerance
Once established, Lambs Ear thrives with minimal water, reducing irrigation needs in dry climates. This makes it an eco-conscious choice for landscapes focused on water conservation and sustainability.
Pollinator-Friendly Flowers
Though often trimmed for appearance, the purple-pink blooms attract bees and other beneficial insects during their flowering season. Encouraging pollinators supports biodiversity and healthy ecosystems in home gardens.
Non-Poisonous
Many wonder if lambs ear plant poisonous? Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) is non-toxic and not considered poisonous to humans, dogs, cats, or other common pets. In fact, its soft, fuzzy leaves are sometimes used in children’s sensory gardens because it’s safe to touch and interact with.
Low Maintenance and Longevity
With minimal upkeep and year-round structure, Lambs Ear is a reliable choice for long-term planting plans. It rarely suffers from pests or disease, and its foliage remains attractive throughout most of the year, even in colder climates.
