In the Victorian language of flowers, lamb's-ears (Stachys byzantina) meant surprise—and no wonder. When you bend to touch this lovely little plant, you'll find that it is as soft and supple as gray velvet. Once used as a poultice and wound bandage and first cousin to the medicinal betony (Stachys officinalis), it can soothe a garden cut. And it's charming in the garden, too, although it has a disconcerting tendency to die out in the center after it stretches up to its full height (about 18 inches) and puts up lavender bloom stalks. Plant it in the driest part of your garden, for it is native to the dry, rocky hills of Turkey and Iran. Let it reseed (it loves to do this), and you will be surprised at the delightful little clumps of lamb's-ears that will appear.
A Silver Wreath
But lamb's-ears is at its most charming in a silvery garden wreath. You can purchase various wreath forms at craft stores—my favorite is an eight-inch loosely-woven vine wreath into which I can easily insert plant stems. Make a hanging tie for the back of the wreath. In the garden, choose stems of silver, gray, and gray-green plants: artemisias "Silver King," "Silver Queen," and "Powys Castle," lavender, pussytoes, statice, speedwell, wooly oregano, yarrow, santolina, and lamb's ears. Place your wreath-form flat, insert the plants' stems into it in a decorative pattern that suits you, and add a silver bow. Let it dry flat for a few days, then hang. Make one for yourself and one as a surprise gift for a friend, who will be just as charmed by those lamb's-ears as you are.
And for more wreaths-to-make, check out these books:
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