Plant Image Data Base
Lamium
maculatum
Spotted Deadnettle
(Lamiaceae [also known as Labiatae] - Mint Family)
Form
- medium-sized, semi-evergreen, herbaceous perennial groundcover
- maturing at about 10" tall by 1.5' wide
- procumbent mat growth habit, forming a dense mound
- medium growth rate, in terms of its perimeter spread
Culture
- partial shade to full shade
- needs an evenly moist, well-drained, moderately rich soil in partial shade
for optimum performance; not at all urban tolerant, including a disdain for
poor soils, poorly drained soils, compacted soils, heat, prolonged drought,
or sunny spots
- propagated by crown division, lifting of rooted stem segments, or rooted
stem cuttings
- Mint Family, with no disease problems, but slug and snail pest problems
may cosmetically affect the foliage on occasion, and exposure to excessive
sun and drought will scorch the foliage and lead to dieback
- commonly available in containers or flats
- often melts out in the heat of Summer (that is, the Spring foliage and
stems die back to the original crown or new peripherally-rooted crowns), but
may rejuvenate in the coolness of Autumn
Foliage
- medium green for the species form (cultivars are always silver-variegated,
but shoots may occasionally develop that revert to the vigorous, solid-green
form, and need to be rouged out)
- leaves are opposite, ovate, and crenate
- entire plant slowly dies back to the crown during late Autumn and early
Winter (evergreen in Southern climates), unless it never re-emerged from
Summer dormancy
Flowers
- shell pink, pink, dark lavender, or white, depending upon cultivar
- flowering heavily in May and June and sporadically thereafter, sometimes
with a minor flush in early Autumn
- numerous clusters of small flowers occur at each node and the stem
terminals
- prominent "hooded" upper petals and "lipped" lower
petals are characteristic of the Mint family
Fruits
- brown and ornamentally inconspicuous
Twigs
- stems are square and green, procumbent and trailing, occasionally rooting
at the nodes, resulting in the slow spread of this perennial groundcover
ID Summary
- groundcover with ovate, silver-variegated opposite leaves, originating
from a central crown with the trailing stems rooting at the nodes, with
Spring flowers being dark lavender, shell pink, or white
- often melts out in the heat of Summer, or when placed in too sunny or dry
of a location
Function
- edging or groundcover, used effectively in moist, shaded areas
Texture
- medium texture
- thick density
Assets
- mounding and spreading groundcover with a solid mat of silver-green
variegated foliage
- pink, lavender, or white Spring flowering, with possible rebloom in early
Autumn
Liabilities
- often melts out during the heat and drought of Summer, even in shady sites
- subject to crown or stem rot in moisture-retentive situations (frequent
irrigation, poorly drained locations, or heavy rain periods), and mass
groundcover plantings often develop "holes" as individual plants
die
- often retains leaf litter in late Autumn and Winter
- occasional green-foliaged sports need to be immediately removed so that
they will not take over the planting
Habitat
- zones 3 to 8
- native to Europe and North America
Variants
- Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' - silver leaves with very narrow
green margins, having dark lavender flowers
- Lamium maculatum 'Cannon's Gold' - golden chartreuse leaves with
pink flowers, rarely available now but will become a standard in the years
ahead
- Lamium maculatum 'Chequers' - green leaves with a prominent silver
stripe down the midrib, with dark pink flowers, very vigorous
- Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter' - silver leaves with very narrow
green margins, having shell-pink flowers
- Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy' - silver leaves with very narrow
green margins, having white flowers
Purpose
- Spotted Deadnettle is a silver-variegated, flowering perennial groundcover
ideally suited for moist (but well-drained) and shady sites.
Summary
- Lamium maculatum is known for its dense silver-green mounding and
trailing foliage, pink, lavender, or white Spring flowers, and groundcover
usage for shady situations.
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