Lamium maculatum Pink Pewter - Spotted Deadnettle

Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter' is one of the quintessential ground cover plants in the undergrowth. Its semi-evergreen, silvery leaves with dark green margins and its long flowering period make it one of the best lamiums. It is an ideal plant for enhancing the edges of flower beds.

Lamium maculatum is native to Europe and Asia Minor where it is considered an adventive species. Its cultivar 'Pink Pewter' is a rhizomatous perennial ground cover, discovered in England by John Metcalf, reaching a height of 25cm (10in) and spreading up to 100cm (39in). The main attraction of this plant is its irregular, heart-shaped, pedunculate leaves with toothed margins. They are silver in colour, marked with dark green veins and dark green edges on the margin. A long flowering period of 5 months, from May to September, punctuates and colours its foliage. The flowering occurs in leafy spikes, with upright pale-pink flowers. They bear an upper lip forming a curved dome and a lower lip that either trails or forms a 'u' shape.

Easy to grow and fast growing, Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter' thrives in light, moist to wet soils, in shady or semi-shady areas. It requires little maintenance, only a cleaning of the plant before spring regrowth.

Considered as one of the top ground cover plants in the undergrowth, it will beautifully adorn the base of shrubs and trees such as the wild service tree, elderberry, or viburnum.