Stachys byzantina Silver Carpet

Stachys byzantina Silver Carpet is also known as "rabbit's ears" because of its lanceolate, woolly silver-grey leaves which are very soft to the touch. This cultivar has particularly silver foliage and is interesting because it very rarely flowers, so its astonishing foliage remains tidy throughout the year. It is very interesting in architectural and contemporary gardens and easy to grow in the sun in a rock garden, on a slope or at the edge of a bed, where it forms beautiful evergreen, drought-resistant colonies.

Stachys byzantina (synonym: Stachys lanata) is a plant of the lamiaceae family, just like sage, thyme, and rosemary. This perennial plant with trailing rhizomes is native to chalky meadows in Eurasia, from Iran to Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. It likes well-drained, but preferably loose and deep soil and it is very cold-resistant and well-adapted to summer drought. 'Silver Carpet' has very silver foliage and rarely flowers. Its fast-growing trailing crown produces basal rosettes of long oval leaves, 15-20 cm (6-8in) long and 4 cm (2in) wide, with wavy margins, completely covered with very soft, woolly bristles. The foliage reaches up to 20-25 cm (8-10in) high. When it rains, the green surface reappears under this grey down. The drier the soil, the whiter the foliage will appear.

Stachys byzantina Silver Carpet is perfect in a dry garden or a rock garden. It is ornamental throughout the year and forms superb velvety carpets. It can be planted en masse along a pathway or used for contrast in a contemporary garden or an architectural garden with ornamental Allium bulbs, Eryngiums, Sedums, Stipa tenuifolia, Achilleas, or Euphorbias. It only needs properly drained soil and sunlight.