Lamb’s Ear Hummelo Live Plant – 3.5 inch Container – Rosy-Lavender Flowers

Overview

Transform your garden with the captivating beauty of the Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant. This exceptional perennial, botanically known as Stachys monieri ‘Hummelo’ or commonly as Hummelo Stachys, is celebrated for its distinctive rosy lavender flowers that emerge on sturdy spikes from mid-summer through frost. Unlike traditional lamb’s ear varieties, ‘Hummelo’ boasts glossy, dark green, textured foliage that forms vigorous, rounded clumps, providing a lush display even when not in bloom. This perennial garden plant is a clump-forming specimen that naturally spreads to create an attractive groundcover, drawing in beneficial pollinators. Its unique combination of vibrant blooms and appealing foliage makes it a standout choice for borders, walkways, and container gardens, adding continuous color and texture to any outdoor space.

The Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant is a robust and adaptable addition to many landscapes. Its ability to thrive in various conditions, from full sun to partial shade (depending on climate), makes it a versatile choice for gardeners. This plant is also highly valued for its resilience, being both a deer resistant groundcover and rabbit resistant, ensuring your garden remains pristine. Its low-maintenance nature and beautiful aesthetic contribute to its growing popularity among garden enthusiasts seeking reliable and visually appealing plants. Whether you’re looking to fill a large garden bed or add a touch of charm to a small urban balcony, the ‘Hummelo’ variety offers a sophisticated solution with its enduring appeal.

Key Benefits

The Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant offers a multitude of advantages for any gardener, combining aesthetic appeal with practical benefits:

• Stunning Rosy-Lavender Blooms: Enjoy a prolonged display of unique rosy lavender flowers on strong, upright spikes from mid-summer well into fall. These vibrant blooms add a touch of sophisticated color to your garden, creating beautiful drifts of purple. The continuous flowering ensures your garden remains lively and appealing throughout the growing season.
• Attractive Glossy Green Foliage: Unlike other Stachys varieties, ‘Hummelo’ features distinctive glossy, dark green, textured leaves that form dense, rounded clumps. This provides ornamental interest even when the plant is not in flower, acting as an excellent visual anchor and adding year-round structure to your garden design.
• Effective Groundcover & Border Plant: This clump-forming perennial freely naturalizes, making it an ideal choice for creating dense groundcover or defining garden borders and walkways. It spreads gracefully, filling spaces with lush greenery and vibrant flowers, effectively suppressing weeds and reducing garden maintenance.
• Pollinator Attractor: The abundant flowers of the Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant are a magnet for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to a healthy and thriving garden ecosystem. Attracting these beneficial insects helps improve the overall biodiversity of your garden.
• Deer and Rabbit Resistant: Enjoy peace of mind knowing that this perennial garden plant is naturally resistant to deer and rabbits, protecting your garden from common pests without the need for harsh chemicals or deterrents. This makes it a truly deer resistant groundcover, preserving the beauty of your landscape.
• Drought Tolerant Once Established: Once mature, the ‘Hummelo’ variety is remarkably drought-tolerant, requiring less frequent watering. This makes it a water-wise choice for sustainable gardening and ideal for xeriscaping projects, saving you time and resources.
• Low Maintenance: This tough and resilient perennial requires minimal care. Pruning is primarily for deadheading to encourage more blooms and maintain tidiness, making it a perfect choice for busy gardeners who desire beauty without extensive effort.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant is straightforward, ensuring a beautiful and long-lasting display in your garden. For optimal growth and flowering, plant ‘Hummelo’ in an area that receives full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. In hotter summer climates, partial shade during the intense afternoon hours can be beneficial to prevent leaf scorch. In cooler regions, this perennial garden plant performs well in both full sun and partial shade. Proper sunlight exposure is crucial for developing its vibrant rosy lavender flowers and maintaining healthy foliage.

When it comes to watering, the Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant prefers consistently moist soil until it is well-established. Once established, it becomes quite drought-tolerant, making it a low-water-use plant. However, during prolonged dry periods, occasional deep watering will help it thrive. Good drainage is paramount; plant ‘Hummelo’ in well-drained soil to prevent root rot. It tolerates a variety of soil types but performs best in loamy to sandy soils. The leaves are evergreen in warmer winter climates but may not hold up well in harsh, freezing conditions. This variety is also tolerant of black walnut juglone, a substance toxic to many other plants, showcasing its toughness. Minimal pruning is needed, mainly deadheading spent flowers to encourage a second flush of blooms and keep the plant looking tidy. This simple maintenance helps ensure a continuous show of rosy lavender flowers throughout the season.

For soil and fertilization, a general-purpose, balanced fertilizer can be applied in spring to support vigorous growth, though ‘Hummelo’ is not a heavy feeder. Ensuring proper air circulation around the plants can help prevent common fungal issues. This Hummelo Stachys spreads by underground stolons, forming dense mats over time, which makes it an excellent choice for a naturalized look or as a robust deer resistant groundcover. Monitor for any signs of pests or diseases, though ‘Hummelo’ is generally quite resilient. Its hardiness and adaptability make it a fantastic choice for gardeners of all experience levels looking for a beautiful and easy-to-care-for perennial.

Size & Details

This offering is for a Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant, shipped in a 3.5 inch container, ready for planting. The plant is well-rooted and healthy, prepared to establish quickly in your garden. When mature, the ‘Hummelo’ variety typically grows to a height of 18-24 inches with a similar spread, forming dense, rounded clumps that make an excellent groundcover. Its robust growth habit allows it to naturalize effectively, creating beautiful drifts of purple flowers and glossy green foliage. The plant’s vigorous nature means it will spread over time, filling in garden beds and borders.

Expect this perennial garden plant to begin flowering from mid-summer, with blooms continuing through frost, providing extended seasonal interest. The plant’s leaves are evergreen in warmer climates but may die back in colder regions, returning with fresh growth in spring. This Hummelo Stachys is a relatively fast grower once established, quickly forming its characteristic clumps. It is shipped as a live, potted specimen, ensuring minimal transplant shock and a strong start in its new environment. The 3.5 inch container size is ideal for planting directly into garden beds, larger containers, or balcony planters, offering flexibility for various garden designs. This specific variety, Stachys monieri ‘Hummelo’, is known for its vigorous growth and attractive appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Lamb’s Ear Hummelo plant get? A: The Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant typically reaches a height of 18-24 inches and spreads to a similar width, forming dense, rounded clumps over time.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an outdoor perennial garden plant, well-suited for garden beds, borders, and outdoor containers. While it can be grown indoors temporarily in very bright conditions, it thrives best outdoors where it can establish and bloom.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant prefers full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily). In hot summer climates, it appreciates some afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch. It can tolerate partial shade in cooler regions.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, ‘Hummelo’ is considered a low-maintenance and tough perennial. It’s drought-tolerant once established and generally resistant to pests like deer and rabbits, making it an excellent choice for beginners and busy gardeners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your Hummelo Stachys will arrive as a healthy, live plant in a 3.5 inch container, carefully packaged to ensure its safety during transit. It will be well-rooted and ready for immediate planting.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: This perennial garden plant typically begins to produce its beautiful rosy lavender flowers from mid-summer and continues to bloom through the first frost, providing extended color.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Hummelo’ variety is hardy in USDA zones 4-8. Its leaves are evergreen in warmer winter climates, but in colder zones, the foliage may die back and re-emerge vigorously in spring.
• Q: Is it a good groundcover? A: Absolutely! The Lamb’s Ear Hummelo live plant freely naturalizes and spreads by stolons, forming dense mats that create an effective and attractive deer resistant groundcover, suppressing weeds and adding beauty.
• Q: Does it attract pollinators? A: Yes, the vibrant rosy-lavender flowers are very attractive to various pollinators, including bees and butterflies, making it a beneficial addition to a pollinator-friendly garden and promoting a healthy ecosystem.
• Q: What kind of soil does it need? A: It thrives in well-drained soil and tolerates a range of soil types, from loamy to sandy. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root issues and ensure the plant’s health.