Lamiastrum galeobdolon - Yellow Archangel
Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Hear the scientific name

Lamiastrum galeobdolon is known for its dense, silver-green mounding or mat-forming foliage and yellow, spring flowers. Yellow Archangel is used as a groundcover or perennial in the shady landscape. It is an example of a range of groundcovers that add color to shady areas where lawn will not grow.

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  form Form

-perennial groundcover ('Variegata') or herbaceous perennial ('Herman's Pride'), depending upon cultivar

-maturing at about 1' tall x 1.5' wide ('Variegata') or 1' tall x 1' wide ('Herman's Pride')

-either a procumbent mat ('Variegata') or radiating clump ('Herman's Pride') growth habit, depending upon cultivar

foliage Foliage

-medium to dark green (cultivars are silver-variegated), opposite, ovate, with an acute tip

margins may be dentate to serrate ('Herman's Pride') or crenate ('Variegatum')

-basal leaves have long petioles, while leaves on the upper stems are sessile

-emerges in Mar. and grows rapidly in Apr. and May

-entire plant slowly dies back to the ground during winter (often evergreen in southern climates)

Flowers
flowers

-yellow, with a "hooded" upper petal and "lipped" lower petal that are characteristic of the Mint family

flowering in Apr. and May and sporadically thereafter

-numerous clusters of small flowers occur at the stem nodes and also at the stem termini

Fruit

-brown and ornamentally inconspicuous

Twig

-stems are square when viewed in cross-section, somewhat pubescent, and green

Trunk

-not applicable

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Culture

-partial sun to full shade

-needs a moist, well-drained, rich soil in partial shade for optimum performance

-Mint Family, with no disease problems, but slug and snail pest problems affect the foliage on occasion

-propagated by crown division or rooted stem cuttings

-moderately available in containers or flats

Hardiness

-zones 5 to 8

Origin

-native to Europe

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Assets

-dense silver-variegated foliage, found as a mounding to spreading groundcover or clump perennial, depending upon cultivar

-yellow spring flowers

Liabilities

-the groundcover form may become slowly invasive by stolons or rambling stems

-the groundcover form attracts leaf litter in late autumn and winter

-slugs and snails may be cosmetic pests to the foliage

Function

-edging, border, foundation, or facer groundcover ('Variegata'), or clump perennial ('Herman's Pride'), used especially in shaded areas

Texture

-medium texture

-thick density

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Varieties and Cultivars - Search OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species

Alternates

-other groundcovers for shady sites, especially those known for their variegated or semi-evergreen foliage (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum', Galium odoratum, Lamium maculatum, Liriope muscari, Pachysandra terminalis, Vinca minor 'Ralph Shugert', etc.) or noted for their yellow spring flowers (Ranunculus repens, Waldsteinia fragarioides, etc.)

-partial shade perennials noted for their variegated foliage (Heuchera cultivars, Hosta cultivars, Pulmonaria saccharata, etc.)

 


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