How does lamium grow?

I've just planted lamium under my maple trees (dry slope AND shade!). First I put down landscape fabric to kill all the poison ivy, wild onions etc that have taken over there. Then I cut into it to plant the lamium. But now I worry that the lamium won't be able to spread, and I can't find an answer in my books. Help!

Which one did you plant?

Lamium spreads 2-3' by stolons, or runners, along the ground. It may rot from excessive wetness. I don't know if that might be a problen w/landscape fabric, as I've never used it. It can get scraggly in dry shade, in that case, just cut it back and it will re-grow.

I planted Orchid Frost. Thanks PrairieGirl.

Orchid Frost is also known as White Nancy, it forms a nice clump for me and doesn't spread like wild fire like some do, mine is planted in dry shade and had taken a couple years to come into it's own, with little additional watering.
Like PrairieGirl I have not used landscape fabric, so I can't offer any help with that.

My lamium is planted under the canopy of a Sugar Maple and two Oaks. It is variegated with a yellow bloom (can't remember the variety as it was planted in the 80s) and spreads easily. I don't really mind its spreading as it is easy to pull out to control it. Not sure what it will do on landscape cloth. It may not spread until a thin layer of soil has built up over the cloth. Who knows, maybe it will root down through the cloth once the main plant gets established! It is pretty tough.

Lily

P.S. Just remembered, I think it is Beacon Silver?

This message was edited May 2, 2006 9:34 AM

As Lily is saying, if you want the plant to spread, the cloth is a problem. They root as they spread, from above ground. It is slow for the first year or so, and then - at least for my Pink Pewter, they take off - making a beautiful cover but without being deep-rooted or invasive. I took up about half of my matt, which was about 3 x 8, this year, to make room for planting a japanese maple, set the extra ones back in around the tree, put a bunch more in pots. Everything is doing great and continuing to flower and grow.

Peter

Thanks everybody. We've cut larger holes around them (about 3 ft. wide) because I do want them to spread. They have taken off like crazy, already.

You'll have a whole yard full of the stuff before long!

lilydigger - I would guess yours is Yellow Archangel. It is very aggressive and yellow bloomed. I find the Beacon's Silver, Chequers and Pink Pewter to be the best spreaders without being invasive. Aureum is lovely but stays in a clump, (only lime green leafed one that I have.) White Nancy and Red something spread slowly. Anne Greenway and Golden Anniversary did poorly. Herman's Pride also stays mostly in a clump. If you look in PF, you'll see that both Yellow Archangel and Herman's Pride are in a different lamium family than the rest. ... If I remember right, read it last year. :)

Well, I agree with kooger,
I was out tranplanting some Astilbe to my wet area and pulling out Yellow Archangel so I could see where I was digging. Too Agressive for me, makes Ivy seem passive. Although, it would be great if it was the only thing I wanted to grow there.

I have some Yellow Archangle happily growing under a huge old white pine. It is filling in nicely between the exposed roots where nothing else will grow. I doubt that it can jump all of the roots, and the driveway is there to stop it on the other side. This will be it's third summer with me, and we are both very happy with it's performance.

Marie

Mine gets 2-3 hours of afternoon sun and gets cooked pretty badly :( I'm thinking of transplating it this summer, or planting a tree over it :)

kooger -
Thanks for the ID. You're right, it is the variegated version of the Yellow Archangel. This photo matches the lamium I have.
http://www.cobleskill.edu/courses/orht321/Lamiastrumgaleobdolon0002.jpg

Because of the shallow roots of the maple, it has been pretty well behaved, but I can see where it could be troublesome under better conditions.

Lily

You are very welcome. Glad to help. Have to mention what I saw in a greenhouse close by (DH's 2nd cousin) - they used Yellow Archangel as a trailer in hanging pots. It looks really nice and I thought that was a great idea... if you get a piece that's not behaving itself, whack it off and stick it in a hanging pot! :)

Here's a pic, taken the week we planted (about a month ago). That nasty looking landscape fabric has been pretty much pulled up -- wish I had thought more before laying it all out, but it has done its part in taming a wild mess. I think I'm going to move those tulips, too. A whole crop of little Jack-in-the-pulpits have popped up all over that area at the top.

Ooooh! I love the tulips! What you do need are hostas, to cover the yellowing foliage. They're pretty good in dry shade too, appreciating a little extra drink now & then. LOL Looking good. Since the lamium doesn't spread that much, esp in dry shade, you could stand to plant another flat of it, once you see how far it does spread for you. Charming little spot.