Alchemilla vulgaris
Common Lady's Mantle
Common names: Lady's Mantle
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Pot size
- from 10 l
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −25 °C
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: User:Kilom691 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The lady's mantle is especially enchanting in the morning when dew gathers in glittering droplets on its velvety folded leaves. Above the delicate leaf cushion, yellow-green flower veils hover. It is a low-maintenance perennial that also works well as a groundcover.
Care instructions
Plant it in a half shaded spot with fresh, humus-rich soil; it does not like heavy midday sun. Water during dry periods so the foliage does not wilt. Cut it back to the ground after flowering, then it will regrow fresh and will not spread uncontrollably.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May, Sep
HarvestJun–Aug
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 5 °C, ideally 15 °C
- Days to sprout
- 14 to 28 days
- Light
- Needs light to sprout
- Sowing depth
- Press in, don't cover
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, moist, nutrient-rich
You need a humus-rich, loamy, fresh to moist and nutrient-rich soil, but waterlogging must be able to drain away. On very sandy soil, work in plenty of compost so that the soil holds water better. Lady's mantle comes from damp meadows and woodland edges, often rich in lime and nutrients; it tolerates chalky soil well, up to slightly alkaline.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
In early spring, as growth starts, work a layer of mature compost in shallowly around the plant; on soils poorer in nutrients you add a little horn shavings as well. One application in spring is normally enough; otherwise give it just a thin mulch layer. Too much nitrogen drives mainly the leaves and comes at the expense of the flowers.
Overwintering
Lady's mantle is fully hardy and needs no winter protection in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Cut it back to ground level after flowering, and it regrows fresh; you can leave the old foliage standing in autumn, as it lightly protects the crown, and in spring it reliably shoots again.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
The easiest ways to propagate lady's mantle are by sowing or root division.
Sowing: The species reproduces apomictically. The seeds develop without pollination and are therefore almost identical to the mother plant. Collect ripe seeds from July/August, as soon as the seed heads turn brownish. As a cold-stratification seed, lady's mantle needs a cold stimulus: sow the seeds in autumn or late summer directly outdoors or in a seed tray that you leave outside, sheltered, over winter. Press the seeds down only lightly and hardly cover them with soil. The young plants appear in early spring. Alternatively, make use of its strong self-seeding: let a few flower heads ripen and move the self-sown young plants to the spots you want in spring.
Division: Older clumps can be divided well in early spring (March/April, just before growth starts) or in autumn (September/October), and are rejuvenated in the process. Cut around the root ball with the spade, lift it out and divide it by hand or with a sharp spade/knife into several pieces; each should have at least one strong growth centre and enough roots. Dividing every few years keeps the plant vigorous. Plant the pieces immediately at the same depth in their new spot and water well.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Common Lady's Mantle yourself
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