Guide to growing garden plants - Lamium Dead Nettle

Members of the Lamium that are grown in the garden are usually done so for their beautiful foliage.

The Lamium genus are hardy perennials and contains many members most of which are weeds.

The leaves of garden grown Lamium are often silver; they carry flowers that look similar to those of snapdragon from the end of spring until the start of summer.

Some common names for Lamium include Dead Nettle, Yellow Archangel and Cobbler's bench.

How to grow Dead Nettle

The time that you sow the seeds of Lamium is dependent upon the species that you are growing; Yellow ones should be sown in autumn; purple or white species of Lamium should be sown in the spring. Once sown, lightly cover the seeds with topsoil. They can be grown in either a sunny or partially shaded part of the garden that has good drainage. Dead Nettle and other Lamium members like to grow in a poor soil.

When starting off Dead Nettle (Lamium) indoors they should be started off about 10 weeks before due to be out out in the garden. They take from one to two months to germinate at 17 to 21 degrees centigrade. The young Lamium plants should be put out in either the spring or autumn.

Caring for dead nettle and other Lamium in the garden

Members of the Lamium genus are weedy in nature so if you are growing them in the garden you should be prepared to keep an eye on them to stop them taking over the garden. They should be fertilized in the spring;. Once the flowering season is over they should be cut back. If you require more dead nettle plants then either take root cuttings or divide them in the spring.