2010 Carolina Home & Garden Show

The Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia (HBAGC) presents the 44th Annual Carolina Classic Home & Garden Show at the SC State Fairgrounds Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14, 2010. This is the largest home and garden exhibition in the Midlands with over 300 construction, home improvement, and outdoor products exhibits. Educational seminars are free with your admission. Visit their website for more information.

Plant Profile: Stachys byzantina

Botanical Name: Stachys byzantina
Common Name: Lamb’s Ear, Wooly betony
Plant Type: Perennial
Light Requirements: Full Sun (afternoon shade in very hot climates)
Special Attributes: Drought tolerant

Zone: 4-7

Growth Rate: Spreads quickly

Height X Spread: 12” H x 24” W

Bloom Time: Early Summer

Bloom Description: Pink/Purple flowers (rarely flowers)

Foliage Description: Oblong elliptic wooley gray-green leaves

Soil: Moist well drained soil is best but will survive in average to dry soil

Water: Regular

Tidy: Clean out dead foliage regularly

Fertilizer: Balanced slow-release fertilizer

Fertilizing cycle: Spring at first sign of growth

Divide: In spring

Propagation: Division of the root mass; often self-seeds

Notes: Lamb's ear is a low growing, mat-forming perennial in the mint family that is grown for its velvety white wooly leaves, rather than its flowers. The leaves are 2-4 inches long. Flower spikes appear in early summer and are 12-18 inches high. It is often used as edging in garden design. There are approximately 300 species of Stachys.