Stachys byzantina
Woolly mint
Common names: Donkey ear, Hare ear
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Stachys byzantina, commonly known as woolly mint, is a low-growing garden shrub with densely silvery, hairy leaves that resemble soft animal ears. The foliage feels velvety and forms a dense, gray-white carpet along the garden edge throughout the year. In summer, delicate violet flower spikes rise on stems up to 40 cm tall, attracting bumblebees and honeybees. As a hardy steppe plant, it tolerates heat and drought well, making it ideal for sunny borders and gravel gardens.
Care instructions
Plant in full sun on a warm site with well‑draining, somewhat sandy soil. Avoid waterlogging, especially in winter, as it can cause rotting leaf shoots. Water only during prolonged dry spells after establishment; otherwise the plant copes with natural rainfall. Prune spent flower heads in late summer and remove wilted leaf parts in early spring (around week 14 of the year) to encourage fresh, dense foliage. Divide the clumps every three to four years to maintain vigor and prevent internal hardening.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, lean, sandy, dry
Feeding
Light feeder
Companion planting
Good neighbors
nightshade family (Solanaceae)
particularly well establishedYou will find that basil next to tomato and pepper improves taste and keeps whiteflies and aphids away.
For example PotatoTomatoSweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberry and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
You will notice that the intense scent of basil, thyme, and others confuses the cabbage whitefly and keeps it away from the cabbage family.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: bio-gardening intercropping practice
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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