Stachys Lilac Falls

Stachys Lilac Falls creates cascades of small lilac flowers from spring to autumn, overflowing from planters and hanging baskets or even bordering flower beds. This extraordinary new perennial, born from hybridisation between a betony and a dead-nettle, combines the sturdiness of stachys with the insane growth of dead-nettles. Its small lilac-coloured flowers are clustered in leafy stems that conceal the ground or gracefully trail from flower pots. Hardy and resistant to both heat and rain, this innovative hybrid is part of a new generation of carefree plants that thrive in the sun, in open ground or in pots, in all our regions.

Betony belongs to the Lamiaceae family, just like dead-nettles, mints, salvias, and even... nettles. A certain genetic proximity between the Lamium and Stachys genera has made the birth of 'Lilac Falls' possible, a sterile plant that is extremely floriferous. It is a medium-sized stoloniferous herbaceous plant, with a bushy and creeping or trailing habit if grown in a pot. The plant reaches a height of 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12in) when in flower, with a spread of 70 to 80 cm (28 to 32in). The long, dark, quadrangular stems bear small entire leaves, of a fairly dark, glossy green. From May to October, it produces clustered flowers in wide and dense spikes at the end of each branching. Therefore, it is advisable to pinch the plant in its young age to encourage branching. The bilabiate flowers, with a lobe, measure 1.5 cm (1in) and are softly coloured in mauve-lilac. This plant quickly forms beautiful clumps, spreading through creeping stems that root upon contact with the ground.

Stachys Lilac Falls, which seems to be hardy down to at least -15°C (5°F), will naturally find its place in borders and rockeries, associated with many plants such as Onosma alboroseum, the campanulate bellflower, or Antennaria dioica Rubra, for example. It blends well in flower beds with pink, mauve, or violet blooms of echinaceas, monardas, veronicas, Sedum Matrona, Aethionema... It will form, much like catmints, a delightful groundcover at the base of 'The Fairy' or 'Pink Knockout' roses. It is unbeatable in hanging baskets and planters, alongside the floriferous and easy-to-grow Beedance series of bidens, and the Powerdaisy Sunny calendula.

Note: Please be aware that our young plug plants are professional products intended for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, repot and store them under cover (veranda, greenhouse, cold frame...) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before planting them outdoors once the risk of frost has definitively passed.