Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Zones 3 to 9
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Neutral
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Moist, well-drained, overage
PREFERRED LIGHT: Partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Large leaves, airy chartreuse flowers; for beds, herb gardens, pots
SEASON OF INTEREST: Flowers from late spring to early summer; foliage spring to fall
FAVORITES: A. mollis
QUIRKS: Roots grow better when cooled by organic mulch
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Astilbe, catmint, lavender, Siberian iris
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: Fertile soil in partial shade
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Slugs and snails
RENEWING PLANTS: Lives several years; divide crowded clumps in early spring
CRITTER RESISTANCE: Good
SOURCE: Bedding plants, division
DIMENSIONS: 2 ft (0.6 m) tall and equally wide
Lady's Mantle in the Landscape
How often do you find a versatile beauty that is as easy to please as it is elegant? The large, rounded leaves of the lady's mantle are soft apple green and velvety to the touch, with edges that look as if they were cut by pinking shears. Before they fully open, the leaves are pleated, resembling an old-fashioned lady's cape. The leaves catch and hold drops of rain or morning dew, which bead up like teardrops along their surface. It was once a popular and romantic notion that a lady who washed her face in the morning dew that had collected on the leaves would have youthful skin.
Because lady's mantle is a low, mounding plant, standing at most 2 ft (0.6 m) tall and wide, it deserves a front-row position in a flower border. Its primary asset is its attractive display of foliage all season, although lady's mantle also produces clusters of diminutive chartreuse flowers on slender stems in spring and early summer. The clouds of fine-textured color are a perfect complement for blue and purple blossoms, such as those of catmint and lavender, which flower at the same time. In flower arrangements, lady's mantle flowers hold well for a week or longer.
Potted Splendor
Lady's mantle looks elegant when grown in containers and is versatile enough to blend with pots of terracotta, lead, or stone. Its neutral leaves and bright flowers work equally well in a colorfully decorated ceramic pot. Grow it solo or slip in a few bright-colored annuals, such as pansies, primroses, and coleus to keep the color coming from spring to fall.
This adaptable perennial can survive the fickle watering that pots receive, because it tolerates drought as well as rainstorms. When potting it, give lady's mantle fertile soil and make certain the container has ample drainage. As a guide to watering, stick your index finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. It's time to water when the soil feels dry.
Growing Lady's Mantle
Lady's mantle is at its best when it is growing in well-drained, fertile soil in partial shade, but it tolerates sun and average growing conditions. Set out new plants in early spring and add a thin layer of organic mulch to keep weeds at bay, reduce the need for water, and allow the plants to thrive in sun. Avoid planting in wet soil, or the roots will rot.
Although lady's mantle is for the most part pest free, beware of slugs and snails if it is growing in the shade. These night-feeding mollusks can riddle the handsome foliage with holes. To prevent or control the problem, set out shallow dishes of beer to attract and drown them.
Dig up and divide lady's mantel in spring about every 3 years, when the centers of clumps are crowded and have reduced flowering, or when you want to increase your stock. When replanting, set the divisions at the same depth at which the parents grew. Also keep your eyes open for volunteer seedlings, which can be gently transplanted in spring.
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