Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)

Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is a clumping herbaceous perennial that forms a mound of soft, scalloped foliage. Rounded light to blue-green leaves have 9–11 lobes and fine downy hairs that hold beads of moisture after rain, adding a sparkling detail to the garden.

Spreading clusters of small, star-shaped chartreuse flowers bloom in summer. Deadheading may encourage a lighter second bloom. Pair with geranium, salvia, or allium for contrasting foliage and flower shapes.

Growing details

• Plant type: Herbaceous perennial; groundcover
• Mature size: 1–1.5 feet tall and 1.5–2.5 feet wide
• Spacing: Approximately 2 feet apart
• Hardiness: USDA zones 3–8
• Light: Full sun to part sun; afternoon shade is best in the South
• Soil: Well-drained soil
• Flowers: Star-shaped chartreuse clusters in summer
• Foliage: Soft, scalloped light to blue-green leaves

Care and garden use

This low-maintenance perennial can self-seed aggressively if flowers are not deadheaded. Remove spent blooms to manage seedlings and potentially encourage additional flowering.

Leaves can scorch in full sun during hot summers if soil dries out. Provide afternoon shade in Southern gardens and maintain soil moisture during hot weather.

Use as an accent or in grouped plantings, borders, woodland gardens, naturalized areas, rock gardens, groundcover plantings, or containers.

Image credits: Anneli Salo, Alchemilla mollis Jättipoimulehti H6144 C, CC BY-SA 3.0; Rasbak, Alchemilla mollis (Fraaie vrouwenmantel bloeiwijze), CC BY-SA 3.0; Uoaei1, Alchemilla mollis Nürnberg 01, CC BY-SA 4.0. Plants naturally vary in appearance and may differ from the images shown.