These refreshing herbaceous perennials are reliable and resilient plants to grow in your garden. Find out all you need to know to grow Alchemilla mollis, Lady’s Mantle, in your garden.
Plant Biography
BOTANICAL NAME
Alchemilla mollis
Alchemilla grandiflora hort.
COMMON NAME
Lady’s Mantle
NATIVE TO
This plant is native from Romania to the Caucasus and prefers to grow in a temperate biome.
DESCRIPTION
It produces clumps of soft, scalloped, and slightly hairy green leaves, and bright sprays of yellow flowers.
What type of plant is it?
Alchemilla mollis is an herbaceous perennial.
What colours does Lady’s Mantle come in?
The Alchemilla mollis flower is only available in its cheerful shade of yellowy green.
When do these plants flower?
The blooms of this lovely plant appear between June and September, lovely for transitioning between the seasons.
Where does it like to grow?
Lady’s Mantle is easy to please when choosing a spot to grow. They are content in most soil types and will tolerate full shade, full sun, and even partial shade. Also, being fully hardy, they thrive regardless of whether they are in a sheltered or exposed position.
Where does it dislike to grow?
The only condition Lady’s Mantle may struggle in is ground that is too boggy.
Is this plant drought-tolerant?
Yes, Alchemilla mollis copes well during periods of drought.
How to grow Lady’s Mantle successfully
Easy to grow plants, you are unlikely to face much trouble when growing Alchemilla mollis. It can be bought and planted at any time of the year and may simply need dividing during its dormant period.
Do they require supports?
Alchemilla mollis won’t benefit from any kind of support.
Is it good for pollinators?
It does provide a reliable source of nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies.
Is it good for wildlife?
Lady’s Mantle does not have any known benefits to wildlife, but it is good for deer and rabbit resistance.
How to choose the right variety for your garden
There is only one true Alchemilla mollis plant, which makes the job of choosing much easier. It is well-suited to all soils except boggy sites and will thrive in all sun-exposure environments and sheltered or exposed locations.
How big will it get
Expect your plant to reach up to 50cm tall and 50cm wide. Therefore, make sure you leave enough space for your Lady’s Mantle to grow to this size.
How to plant Lady’s Mantle
Thanks to this plant being fully hardy, it can be planted all year, although it is ideally planted in autumn or spring.
Plant it with up to 50cm height and spread room accounted for. And if planting during the growing season, water regularly to help it establish.
How to care for Lady’s Mantle
Being drought-tolerant and unfussy with soil conditions, Lady’s Mantle is a dream to care for. Simply cut back any faded stems once they have finished flowering to stop it from going to seed.
Do they spread?
Yes, Lady’s Mantle is known to spread by seed. If you would like to avoid this, simply cut back the faded stems after they have finished flowering.
How to keep it looking good
If your plant has started to look straggly, cut the stems down to the ground. Doing this should encourage new growth to come through. Do the same each year in autumn, cutting down to ground level.
Does Lady’s Mantle need deadheading?
The faded flowers only need to be removed to prevent the plant from going to seed.
Does it need pruning, and when should they be pruned?
Remove flowerheads after flowering has finished to prevent the plant from self-seeding. You can also cut the growth down to the ground in autumn to grow back the following year.
How to propagate these plants
The most effective way to propagate Lady’s Mantle is to divide in the autumn or spring. By digging up the clump and splitting it into decent separate pieces, you can end up with several wonderful plants. Just be sure each clump has plenty of roots and a couple of shoot buds each.
These plants can also self-seed, so can naturally propagate on its own.
What problems can Lady’s Mantle have?
Being so low-maintenance and easy to grow, this plant suffers from no pests or diseases and is trouble-free.
Varieties of Lady’s Mantle to have
There is only one true Lady’s Mantle; any individual cultivars tend to be very similar to one another.
Best time of year to buy this plant
You can purchase and plant Lady’s Mantle all year round from your local garden centre or nursery.
The best garden design style for this plant
These plants are a resilient choice for many different areas of the garden. Whether it’s a wildflower meadow, an informal, cottage, or a gravel garden, or even planting under roses or shrubs. Your Lady’s Mantle plant is sure to fit into your chosen location.
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David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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