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Lamb's ear question..

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Posted by bgaviator 6 (My Page) on
Mon, Apr 29, 13 at 4:29

My coworker gave me some of her Lambs Ear plants last year, and I planted them without really doing research first. Now that I have seen first hand just how quickly it grows and how it can get out of control, I am wondering what's the best way to keep it in check?
My plant started last summer as just a small clump that she gave me, and now it's easily 10x as big, and it's even started to overcrowd some of my other plants.

I actually don't mind the look of the plant itself, as it's color gives a nice contrast, but I want to know if there are any ways to keep it automatically in control? This is at my in-law's house, and they don't really garden much, so I try to make things as maintenance free for them as I can.

Would a simple border keep it contained, or would I maybe need to have some type of border that went deep in the dirt around the plant keep it in check? Like maybe a plastic bucket with the bottom cut out so the roots don't spread as far? Or am I wasting my time? Thanks.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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If it is one that blooms, as well as spreading by rhizomes, it will self-seed everywhere. I am still trying to eradicate it in a bed that I don't work in often enough. Pulling twice a year barely keeps it in check. If it is one of the selections that blooms little, a root barrier may help, but you will still need to remove parts that try to escape IME.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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I don't remember it ever blooming last year....just soft fuzzy leaves....here is a pic. I have one in the left and right sides

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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Several sorts are very reluctant to flower, and for some gardeners that is called a plus. But it will spread and spread unless some strong growing neighbor, taller and equally determined, is put next to it. Or it could be contained by border that goes 5 inches into the ground and an inch or two above ground. But the plants will die in the middle, in time.
You should seek out plants that are stable in place for years, and there are those sorts. Peonies are like that and can stay in place, with little tending, for years.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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I did the same thing. I like the look of the soft blue grey leaves, but will move some of it to a dry clay bank, and remove the rest. 10 fold expansion is just a red flag for me.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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well the biggest issue for me is that this is at my in-law's house....and I need to make things as maintenance free for them as possible....because they really don't have the interest in gardening as I do. I am thinking about ripping them out because they will never take the time to keep them in check, and I don't want them taking over the other plants. I pulled some of the big plant out last night as it was overtaking my coreopsis plant in front of it.

But now I will need something to put in its place. My coworker who is really knowledgeable about gardening told me I need some type of white color in the garden....since the lambs ear was serving as my white, I need something else. I am thinking I need something fairly low growing though....In the back left/right corners I have a small variety of Butterfly Bush. Along the back I have three pygmy crimson barbery shrubs. In front of those barberrys I have Maynight Salvia. In front of the lambs ear I have some form of yellow coreopsis (which I don't really like....very untidy looking and just not very impressive.)

If I pulled this lambs ear out, what should I put in its place? Thanks.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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I actually don't think I would mind the lambs ear except for how aggressive it grew....if I could keep it contained I think I would keep it. I believe this variety is called Silver Carpet based on pictures on the web that match my plants.

I have a bunch of Lowes paint buckets I used to make self-watering containers last year (failed experiment).....if I cut the bottoms out of those and made a barrier so many inches deep, do you think this would work keep it in check?

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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Sure, you can try putting it in a bucket. I do that with mint and it works well. My lamb's ear is used as an edger in one part of the garden. In the spring it is easy to dig up any overspread when I am pulling off the old leaves.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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If you want an alternative, Silver Mound artemesia will pretty much stay put, doesn't mind dry conditions, and is a nice ferny looking silvery blue. Many other kinds of artemesia will spread rambunctiously and you want to avoid them, but IME Silver Mound and a couple of other varieties are fine.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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A non-blooming cultivar of lamb's ear is named 'Helen von Stein' (aka Big Ears) and while it grows slightly larger in circumference, it doesn't self-seed or spread like the species. So far, after three growing seasons, I'm well pleased with its performance and appearance in the full sun perennial garden.

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RE: Lamb's ear question..

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Well I experimented with a container barrier by cutting a Lowes paint bucket in half, about 5-6 inches long. I dug out the dirt, inserted the bucket, and refilled and planted some of the Lambs Ear back. I hope this works. If not, I think I might be ready to move on to the suggested Silver Mound 'Nana' Artemisa.

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