“Some mornings it just doesn’t seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps.” – Emo Philips
“Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for.” – Earl Warren
PAUL’S PLANT PICK
June 2009
This month’s plant pick is a real cutie that I discovered three years ago, and have since planted in several spots in my garden and in containers. It’s Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo.’ The common name is betony, although I’ve never heard anyone call it that.
The most familiar plant in the genus Stachys is the furry gray lamb’s ears, but Hummelo bears little resemblance to its well known relative. For one thing, its leaves aren’t furry and they’re bright green.
Hummelo is an herbaceous perennial that’s hardy in Zones 4 through 8 and easy to grow. It will naturalize in the garden (via stolons or underground stems), but not to the point of being invasive. I think its tendency to slowly spread is a plus, because it looks great when grown en masse as a groundcover or edging plant. It grows to about 18-inches tall and wide, and is rarely bothered by pests or diseases. Once established, it’s reasonably drought tolerant.
Here in my garden, Hummelo begins to flower in late May, and the lavender flowers, which sit atop nearly leafless stems, rise well above the foliage.
Flowering continues pretty much non-stop until September, and I don’t bother to deadhead. Throughout most of its range, Hummelo needs full sun, although in warmer regions of the country, including mine, it prefers afternoon shade. It also adapts well to fairly heavy soils, and even does great in containers. All in all, this is a great plant, and I urge you to try it in your garden.
Chances are Hummelo is available from your local nursery, but you can also order online from one of our sponsors, namely High Country Gardens, at www.highcountrygardens.com.
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