Alchemilla mollis
lady’s mantle
r oSaceaeFrothy chartreuse flower heads; round,
scalloped, soft, smoky yellow-green leaves
15–18 in. (12 in.) high; 24 in. wide
Part shade or sun
Blooms June–August
Zones 4–7
pruning Lady’s mantle can be
deadheaded in a couple of different
ways. The most common method is to
cut the old flowering stem down to the
basal growth. The other approach is to
pull the old flowering stem out at the
base, which serves the additional
purpose of thinning the plant a bit, and
if some root is pulled out along with the
stem it can be propagated. Self-seeding
can be a problem in some gardens; if
this is the case, seedheads should be
removed before they mature. I don’t
have heavy seeding in my gardens,
even with 20 or more plants, and the
few seedlings that I get are welcome, so
I prefer to leave the heads on until they
are brown, as I enjoy them at this stage
as well. Plants may bloom sporadically
later in the season if deadheaded.
Leaves will scorch if grown in too much
sun or in dry conditions. Deadleafing
usually is necessary. Leaves can be
removed individually with pruners, or
if scorch damage is severe, foliage can
be sheared, with hedge shears, to acouple of inches from the base early in
the season, soon after flowering. Do
not shear too close to the crown, or
plants may be killed. Plants can also
be deadleafed lightly as needed early
on, and then sheared to the lush new
basal foliage, which develops under
the old tatty leaves, in late summer. I
opt for this latter approach because I
don’t like the hole that is created by
shearing the plant low early in the
season. I have found regrowth to be
slow on plants sheared low too early
on, often delayed by a month or more,
particularly when the pruning is
followed by hot and dry weather. The
plants seem to overwinter better if
they are not cut back in the autumn.
Hedge shears make quick work of
dead leaf cleanup in the spring, but
again it is important to avoid cutting
close to the crown. Thinning the
plants as described or by removing
some of the leaves can reduce
moisture trapped in the foliage, which
can lead to disease problems, particu-
larly in southern gardens. Plants are
wide spreading and some outer leaves
may need to be removed to keep
plants off of their neighbors.
other maintenance Plants
prefer rich, moist soil in areas not
exposed to hot afternoon sun. They
will grow in sun or shade, but require
pruning as described above to keep
them looking decent. Divide in springAlchemilla molis