Plant record · Perennial · Lamiaceae
Is Lambs Ear deer resistant?
Stachys byzantina
About Lambs Ear
Woolly silver leaves that deer will not touch. The texture is the defense: the felted surface is unpleasant in the mouth, and it works on rabbits too.
It fails in humidity rather than cold. Wet summers rot the crown and the lower leaves turn to gray slime, so it wants sharp drainage, full sun and space around it. Do not mulch up to the crown.
Most gardeners eventually pull the flower spikes off. They are tall, they flop, and the plant looks better as a flat silver mat. If you would rather not deal with them at all, the cultivar Helene von Stein has much larger leaves, rarely flowers, and holds up considerably better in heat and damp than the species.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Low
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- High
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- Moderate
Evergreen·Containers·Erosion control
What to plant it with
- Russian Sage
Both silver, both drought-hardy, both need the same sharp drainage.
Similar to Lambs Ear
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Where Lambs Ear is used
4 guides on this site plant it, and say where and what beside it.
- Deer-Resistant Rose Garden PlanNo rose is deer resistant, and rugosa rates no better than a hybrid tea. So the plan is an enclosure you can live with looking at.6 min
- Mailbox Garden PlanFull sun, no water, road salt and total deer exposure. Plants that survive all four.4 min
- Roadside Bed PlanSalt, plow spray and deer moving along the verge. Plus the sight-line rule that can have the town cut your planting down and bill you for it.6 min
- Wall and Foundation Planting PlanThe strip at the base of a wall is the driest ground you own, and a wall stops nothing. Aspect decides the planting; the rain shadow decides whether it lives.6 min
Where Lambs Ear grows
Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Common questions about Lambs Ear
- Is Lambs Ear deer resistant?
- Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) is rated Rarely Damaged, step 1 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Lambs Ear grow in?
- Lambs Ear is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Lambs Ear grow in shade?
- No. Lambs Ear wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Lambs Ear get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–18 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Lambs Ear bloom?
- Lambs Ear flowers from June–July.
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Every list Lambs Ear belongs to.
All perennials·Rarely damaged·Full sun plants·Evergreen shrubs