Back to plants
Silver-green foliage and pink flowers of Spotted Dead-nettle as ground coverGround cover

Lamium maculatum

Spotted Dead-nettle

ground covershade plantsilver foliagesemi-evergreenbee-friendly

Spotted Dead-nettle is an attractive ground cover with silver-green leaves marked by a distinctive pattern. From April to June, lipped flowers appear in pink, purple, or white. The plant is semi-evergreen and quickly forms an ornamental carpet beneath trees and shrubs.

Want to see Spotted Dead-nettle in your garden?

1 minute, no credit card

Start free design
Free design

Want to see Spotted Dead-nettle in your garden? Make a free design now.

Upload a photo, pick a style, and get a photorealistic design with plant list in under a minute.

See your garden free

400+ gardens designed already

No credit card required

Before
After

Characteristics

Sun
Partial shade, Full shade
Water
Medium
Height
15–25 cm
Spread
30–60 cm
Hardiness zone
3–8
Family
Lamiaceae
Evergreen
Yes
Flower colors
pink, purple, white
Wildlife value
bees, butterflies

Bloom period

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Care guide

Plant in partial shade or full shade in ordinary, moisture-retentive garden soil. Dead-nettle is undemanding and tolerates dry shade reasonably well. Water during prolonged dry spells. The plant spreads steadily but is easily managed.

Pruning tips

Cut back flower stems after blooming for a tidier look. If the plant spreads too wide, trim the edges back. In early spring, remove old foliage to make room for fresh growth.

Good companions

Large blue-green hosta leaves in a shaded gardenPerennials

Hosta sieboldiana

Hosta

Hosta is the quintessential shade plant, valued for its large, blue-green, ribbed leaves. Light purple or white bell-shaped flowers appear on tall stems in July and August. Over the years the plant forms substantial clumps that give a shaded border a lush character.

Full shadeMedium50–90 cm
Finely divided green fronds of the soft shield fern in a shady borderFerns

Polystichum setiferum

Soft Shield Fern

The soft shield fern is an elegant, evergreen fern with finely divided, soft green fronds that arch gracefully outwards. The plant forms a beautiful rosette and fits perfectly in shady borders and woodland gardens. Mature specimens can reach up to 120 centimetres across.

Partial shadeMedium
Purple lenten rose blooming among evergreen foliage in early springPerennials

Helleborus orientalis

Lenten Rose

The Lenten Rose is one of the first bloomers of the garden year, with saucer-shaped flowers in purple, pink or white appearing as early as February. The evergreen, palmate foliage forms attractive clumps that remain decorative year-round. The plant is a valuable early nectar source for bees.

Partial shadeMedium30–50 cm