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Dead Nettle
Lamium maculatum
Also comes in white and purple.
Dead Nettle blooms from May through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
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 20 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (not yet checked).
No toxicity note is on file for Dead Nettle. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, 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, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
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. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, 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; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Dead Nettle get?
8 intall5 ft 7 inan adult20 inwideSee Dead Nettle in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Dead Nettle
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Dead Nettle about 20 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Dead Nettle to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Dead Nettle's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 13 published sources on July 31, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'Beedham's White'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'Cosmopolitan'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'Checkin' PINK CHABLISheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'Red Nancy'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder, Lamium maculatum 'Elisabeth de Haas'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Perennial Resource / Walters Gardens, Lamium maculatum 'Purple Dragon'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- Perennials.com (Heritage Perennials)Perennial Resource / Walters Gardens, Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver'height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Wisconsin Horticultureheight, hardiness zones, sun, years to mature size and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun and years to mature size
- claireaustin-hardyplants.co.ukClaire Austin Hardy Plants, Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy'height, spread and sun
- Native Plant Trust (Go Botany)Go Botany, Native Plant Trustheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Dead Nettle
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
Azalea
Shares part shade and moderate water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape 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 1.5 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 4 ft, for the layer behind it; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Northern Sea Oats
Shares part shade and moderate water; overlaps, then carries the display into early fall; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Camellia
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in midwinter, before this one opens; stands well above at 6.5 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; they only overlap in zones 7 to 8.
Japanese Anemone
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 3 ft, for the layer behind it.
Summersweet
Shares part shade and moderate to high water; overlaps, then carries the display into late summer; stands well above at 6 ft, a canopy to plant beneath; both offer pollinator forage.
Snowdrop
Shares part shade and moderate water; blooms in late winter, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its white flowers settle the pink.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.