Companion plants for Lamb’s Ear include all the beautiful companion plants that can bring value and beauty to your lamb’s ear. The Lamb’s ear plant belongs to the mint family and loves to grow under full to partial sun.
The plants in this list will make your plant look all the more attractive. Continue reading to know more about these plants, and choose what suits you best.
List of 9 Best Companion Plants for Lambs Ear
Companion plants for Lamb’s Ear are plants that will add value to your plant. Stachys Byzantina companion plants are chosen based on similar appearance, color contrast, ground-covering purpose, and nutritional value.
Here are the nine best companion plants for Lamb’s Ear that will be a great addition to your garden.
1. Periwinkle: A Dense Ground Covering Plant
Periwinkle has dark green foliage which makes it an excellent choice for a ground cover plant. Its flowers are normally in a light blue to purple shade, and its leaves grow in opposite directions to each other.
– Growing Season
The Periwinkle blooms in March and April and will sometimes extend into the fall too. When planted 6 inches apart, Periwinkle covers up the ground for one year.
It grows to 6 inches in height, spreading in almost every direction you can think of.
– Specific Needs
Periwinkle propagates well through stem cuttings. It can root within two to four weeks if kept under warm conditions. Ideally, the perennial prefers to grow in the shade but it can thrive in the full sun, too. The soil must be moist, well-drained, and abundant in organic matter. Only fertilize this plant when you feel it is absolutely necessary.
2. Russian Sage
Now you can make a bold statement in your garden with the Russian Sage. The perennial shrub has silver-gray foliage and beautiful lavender flowers. Its addition as a companion plant will cover up the space created by all the leaf-cutting of your lamb’s ear.
– Growing Season
The season of interest for the perennial starts from mid to late summer and continues till fall. It has a moderate growth rate.
The maximum height and width it can grow to are 3 feet when planted at a distance of 36 inches.
– Specific Needs
The plant is quite low-maintenance. It prefers full sun and medium, well-drained soil. Furthermore, it does not require much watering. Use softwood cuttings in spring or semi-ripe cuttings during summer for the best results.
3. Sun-Loving Black-Eyed Susan
The “black eye” refers to the dark brown or black center of the bright yellow flower. It has erect stems that are sometimes branched. The perennial belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a native of East-Northern America.
– Growing Season
Beautiful yellow flowers start to bloom in early summer and last till fall. It is optimal to plant them in spring or early fall so that the roots have a chance to develop before the extreme weathers kick in.
Black Eyed Susans have a fast growth rate. These plants grow up to 3 feet tall with stalks over 8 inches long. It is ideal for planting them 12 to 18 inches apart for the best growth results.
– Specific Needs
The best time to propagate it is in early spring, just as the growth starts or the plant finishes flowering. The simple process involves cutting the root ball with a knife and replanting it.
It loves to grow in full sun and average to moist, well-drained soil. Water it thoroughly to prolong the life of the beautiful foliage.
4. Yarrow: Increase Disease Resistance
Native to Northern Asia and Europe, the plant forms large clusters of beautiful yellow flowers. The plant’s stalks and leathery leaves are far larger than its foliage height.
It makes a great combination plant because of its ability to accumulate nutrients. These nutrients help the neighboring plants to thrive as well.
Together with Stachys Byzantina (lamb’s ear), they would look great in your rock gardens.
– Growing Season
It is one of the few plants with a fairly large bloom period starting from early spring and continuing till late fall.
The plant has a slow growth rate. Once fully mature, the maximum height and width they can reach are 3 feet.
– Specific Needs
Yarrow can be propagated through seeds, stem cuttings, and by division. The easiest is division, which is necessary every three years for the best results. You can plant the divided portion in your garden immediately.
Furthermore, they do not require additional irrigation once they are fully established, but it grows best in well-drained soil and sunny conditions. However, they may wither in hot, rainy weather.
5. Common Mullein: A Look-Alike Plant
There are quite a few plants similar to lamb’s ear, for instance, Common Mullein. It is a native of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa.
It has leathery leaves, similar to Lamb’s Ears, making it an excellent choice if you avoid colorful plants.
The short-lived perennial has five-petaled yellow flowers that form a dense group on the leafy stems. You can also use it for ornamental purposes.
– Growing Season
Its blooming period starts in July and continues till September. To have the plant ready by spring, it is necessary to sow the seeds in fall.
Seeds begin to sprout within twelve to fifteen days if sown at a distance of 8 to 12 inches. The plant can remain as small as 2 feet and grow as large as 7 feet.
– Specific Needs
Common Mullein can be propagated through seeds and cuttings both. The easiest and simplest way is to spread them on top of a rich soil bed. It prefers full sun and well-drained sandy soil. Plant them next to tall trees or walls to keep them from being harmed by the winds.
6. Mexican Feather Grass
Mexican Feather Grass is an excellent choice if you want ornamental grass that thrives all year round. It has beautiful silky green leaves that turn to a beautiful brown with the onset of fall. It is a native of the Southwest United States, Mexico, and Argentina.
– Growing Season
The grass starts to bloom in summer and continues till fall.
It has a medium growth rate. The grass forms a dense clump with a maximum height and width of 24 inches.
– Specific Needs
The optimal and recommended way to propagate it is by division. The best time to do so is during the spring season, before new shoots of growth. The flowy grass, moderately fertile, and well-drained soil prefers to grow in full sun. It can be watered infrequently.
7. Sweet Woodruff
It is a mat-forming perennial bearing white clusters of star-shaped flowers and dark green leaves. The perennial is native to several countries, including Turkey, Iran, Siberia, China, and Japan. It is also known as ‘Wild Baby’s Breath.
As the Lam’s Ears produce pinkish-purple flowers that grow about 10 to 15 inches above the leaves, Sweet Woodruff makes a great companion plant as it bears white flowers on shorter stems, thereby completing the picture.
– Growing Season
Its season of interest starts in Mid-Spring and lasts till July. The plant has a fast growth rate.
The maximum height it reaches is 6 inches, and it can spread up to 1 foot when planted 12 inches apart.
– Specific Needs
Seeds and the segregation of roots can propagate Sweet Woodruffs. Sweet Woodruffs prefer to grow in partial to full shade, making them a perfect addition to the high-rise flowers of lamb’s ears.
8. Sedum Album (White Stonecrop): For Visual Contrast
This is a creeping, evergreen, low-growing herbaceous, succulent perennial with dense green, small, fleshy, finger-shaped leaves. Clusters of small, star-shaped, white, reddish-pink flowers bloom above the foliage.
It is a native plant of Europe, Siberia, Western Asia, and North America and belongs to the family of Crassulaceae.
White Stonecrop provides an excellent visual contrast when paired with a companion plant as its small leaves grow very close to the plant.
– Growing Season
The perennial grows all year round and blooms in Summer. It has a very slow growth rate.
The maximum height it can reach is between three to 6 inches, and it can spread up to 2 feet when planted at a distance of 24 inches.
– Specific Needs
The plant can be propagated through seeds, stem cuttings, and leaves. The leaves take root wherever they fall, making it the second easiest way to propagate after seeds. It thrives under the full sun with loamy and sandy, well-drained soil. Furthermore, it is a very low-maintenance plant and has low watering needs.
9. Plantain Lily: Go All Green
Plantain Lily is a thick, deep-cupped perennial. The cups can be as deep as 4 inches in. It blooms with white, bell-shaped flowers. A beautiful shade can be seen on the cups’ lower side, making the plant all the more attractive. It is a great choice to be used as a combination plant if you prefer to avoid adding colorful plants.
– Growing Season
The blooming season starts in mid-summer and continues till autumn.
The plant has a moderate-to-low growth rate and reaches maturity in five years. It can easily reach 2 feet and spread up to 3 feet.
– Specific Needs
The recommended way to propagate the plant is through the division of ribosomes, and the best season to carry the process is early spring or late summer. It performs its best in partial shade and well-drained, loamy soil. The plant is low-maintenance and has average watering needs.
Conclusion
Although Lamb’s Ears look great on their own, pairing them up with companion plants alongside them is always a good idea. The sun-loving plant is going to thrive more with the right kind of combination plat.
Whichever plant you might decide on going with, always keep in mind the following points from the article above:
- Yarrow makes a great combination plant if you are looking for combination plants to help add health to your plant.
- Common Mullein is what you need if you seek a look-alike plant.
- Mexican Feather Grass makes a great companion that thrives all year round and looks beautiful simultaneously.
If you are looking for plants that are simple yet attractive, Plantain Lily is all you are going to need.
After learning more about these plants, which plant would you like to go with?
References
- https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/education/CDIndex/BlackeyedSusan.pdf
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