Shade gardens can offer some tricky planting situations that just a few plants adapt to well.
Deadnettle is one of the plants that thrives in shade and a wide variety of other growing conditions.
There are a few varieties with golden foliage.
Janet Loughrey.
Deadnettles prefer shade where they take on a green hue and their attractive variegations fade a bit over time.
These easy-to-grow plants require very little care once established andcreate stunning mats of colorin a shade garden.
Deadnettles are most at home inwell-drained soil with even moisture.
Credit: Illustration by Gary Palmer
Once established, they are quite tolerant of dry soil; they may just be a bit less vigorous.
The biggest concern is overly moist soil.
Plant deadnettles wherever you want a dense, flowering groundcover that performs without a lot of fuss.
Credit: Illustration by Mavis Augustine Torke
Pair it with large-leaved plants to provide textural contrast in garden borders.
It’s a cottage garden favorite, looks good under shrubs and trees, and lines walkways nicely.
It will even scramble around a rock garden as long as it’s shaded.
Credit: Janet Loughrey
Some types of deadnettle areinvasive, depending on your location.
How and When to Plant Deadnettle
Deadnettle can be set out in the spring or the fall.
To plant nursery specimens, dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the nursery pot.
Credit: Illustration by Tom Rosborough
Tamp the soil around the plant and water well to remove any air pockets.
Spacing requirements will differ depending on species and variety.
Consult the plant tag or seed packet for correct spacing information.
Deadnettle Care Tips
Light
Most varieties of deadnettle prefer partial shade to shady conditions.
In the cooler northern climates, some species can tolerate full sun.
It will tolerate dry conditions well, which is why it’s such a champ growing underneath shade trees.
Don’t site this plant in an area with consistently wet soil.
Depending on variety, deadnettle may be evergreen in warmer climates.
In the colder north, the plant is herbaceous and benefits from a covering of mulch in subzero temperatures.
Fertilizer
Deadnettle doesn’t need supplemental fertilizing during the growing season.
At most, a top-dressing of compost in the spring will meet the plant’s needs.
Shear the plants back after blossoming in their peak season to encourage well-branched plants and a hearty second bloom.
In areas where deadnettle isn’t evergreen, cut the plant back to the ground after the first frost.
Potting and Repotting Deadnettle
Deadnettle makes a good container plant.
Select a pot with large drainage holes and use well-draining potting soil.
Keep in mind that potted plants, unlike plants in the landscape, require more frequent watering and fertilization.
Fill the new container with fresh potting soil, move the plant, and water well to settle.
As a protective measure, winterize the pots by sinking the container into the ground.
Aphids may also attack leaves and stems.
Give them a good blast from a water hose to dislodge them.
Deadnettle is generally unappealing to deer and rabbits.
verify your runner has both foliage and roots attached.
In either case, water well after planting.
Push the cut end of the stem into a pot filled with moist potting soil.
Keep the soil moist but not wet until the plant starts to root and new foliage begins to grow.
Transplant the rooted cutting into its new home.
To propagate by seed: Deadnettle may self-seed freely but propagating by seed takes a little more effort.
Unless you are growing outdoors in a cold frame, the seeds will have to bestratified.
Plant the stratified seeds in pots filled with moistened potting mix and keep moist until seeds have germinated.
Depending on variety, germination can take one to two months.
Continue to grow the plants in pots until they reach a healthy size.
Transplant the sturdy seedlings in the garden.
It grows 6 to 9 inches tall in loamy, acidic soil.
Hostas in new sizes and touting new foliage features seem to appear each year.
Some are intensely fragrant.
Hostas are a favorite of slug and deer.
Like deadnettle, they do best in the shade where soil remains moist.
Depending on the variety, some prefer acid or alkaline conditions.
Astilbe
Astilbebrings a graceful, feathering note to moist, shady landscapes.
In drier sites, however, the leaves will scorch in full sun.
It will spread slowly over time where well-situated.
Most commercially available types are complex hybrids.
But luckily, several perennials don’tmind limited sunlight.
The dense carpet of silvery foliage makes a lovely background for the plant’s flowers.
It will self-seed and send out runners that can take over a bed if left to its own devices.
Vigilance will keep it in check.
Deadnettle is attractive to most pollinators, including bees and butterflies.
The common name comes from the plant’s foliage.
So the deadnettle foliage was considered “dead” (a.k.a safe to touch).
