Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Tom Norton / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Tom Norton / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Tom Norton / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Keith Williams / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Dead Nettle
Lamium maculatum
Also comes in white and purple.
Dead Nettle blooms from May through July.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Dead Nettle
Plant it in part shade. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 8 in tall and 1.6 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years.
When to plant Dead Nettle
Plant Dead Nettle in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8 range, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from May to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 5 in April.
Good to know about Dead Nettle
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Worth knowing
Despite leaves that look like stinging nettle, it does not sting: the peer-reviewed review notes the foliage lacks the irritant trichomes true nettles have. per Molecules
Is it aggressive?
Sources split on the label: some call it not aggressive, others warn it spreads fast and overruns shorter perennials in rich, moist soil. Give it a contained edge. per NC State and Wisconsin
Melts out in summer heat
In hot, humid summers the foliage thins and melts out, leaving bare patches. Shear the planting back to trigger a fresh flush of new growth. per NC State
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits leave it alone, so it holds up as a shade groundcover where browsing pressure defeats other plantings. per NC State and Wisconsin
Not its invasive cousin
Do not confuse it with yellow archangel (Lamiastrum), its close relative, which is genuinely invasive and regulated as a noxious weed in Washington and Oregon. per Wisconsin
Early forage for bees
The hooded flowers draw bees, especially bumblebees, and because it blooms from late spring it offers early-season forage for emerging bees in a shady spot. per Wisconsin and Molecules
What pairs well with Dead Nettle
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Hellebore
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 1.3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Monkshood
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Azalea
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; taller at 3.9 ft, for the layer behind it; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Cardinal Flower
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; taller at 3.3 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; stands well above at 5.9 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage.
Witch Hazel
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; stands well above at 9.8 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Christmas Fern
Takes part shade to full shade and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 1.6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.