PlantFiles: Spotted Dead Nettle
Lamium maculatum 'White Nancy'

Got this last year from my stepfather from what seemed to be a field of them at the end of his yard between a densely wooded area. He told me that he started with two, & was overjoyed to see them multiply. Brought a few home & planted thm across from my hosta garden & they tripled the space that they were in by the end of the summer.

This spring they have populated the entire spot that I intended for them, & have reached around a decorative rock that I had intended to transplant them into, & are working on that space. They seem to spread slow enough to control though, but look amazing en mass.

I watered them three or four times a week last year & sprayed a little Miracle Grow on them a few weeks & they seem pretty drought tolerant here in N C.

Spreads readily in a damp shady corner that hasn't supported other plants. Soft variegation brings a spot of "light" to an otherwise bleak area. Transplants readily.

UPDATE: More praise for this plant. I have recently removed another lamium ("spotted deadnettle" with striped leaves & pink flowers) because it was much too invasive both above and below ground. The white nancy, however, spreads much more slowly and doesn't seem to put down the same dense mat of hairy roots. The white nancy spreads more by filling out in a slowly expanding clump whereas the other deadnettle put out long creeping shoots that rooted on the way. I have tucked some white nancy cuttings under a few bushes and consider them to be a perfect compliment.

Bought several of these at a local nursery chain this spring. At first the lamium looked great and began to spread. But after a heavy thunderstorm a month ago the delicate stems and leaves were all matted flat on the ground. And that's where they are today. Hopefully next year will be better.

Planted these last year, my first year here in extreme SW Kansas. They didn't seem to establish themselves well, and never did flower, but to my great surprise, they actually did return this year. They were one of the first plants to come out this spring.

I expected them to spread much more than they did, but perhaps they will flower and spread more this year since they are apparently established.

I did have problems late in the summer keeping them wet enough in the severe summer heat. That is part of the reason I didn't think I would see them again.

They provide a light, pretty, mottled foliage, especially in a shady area. I have them in part sun/part shade, that becomes more of a sunny area in the later summer. I am thinking about relocating them this year, but we will just see how they do before I make that final decision.

Several things have come back this year, much to my great surprise!

This ground cover really adds a lot to the shady garden! Nice soft foliage. The flowers are an added bonus!

I love White Nancy! Spreads beautifully without ever getting invasive. I have been propagating in my garden, it really lights up any shady corner. Lovely and easy!

Lamium is a wonderful ground cover, does not spread uncontrolably and is easily removed if it does get in something you may not want it to. In Western New York State near Buffalo, I have it growing in a very wide range of conditions. Total, dense, dry shade, full sun and all degrees in between. For first year plants in the deepest, dry shade, continuous watering is recommended. Generally after the first year, the roots will tolerate extreme dryness. The plants will not do as well in total shade as in brighter areas, but will grow and spread, creating a carpet of lightness in a year or two, especially the whiter leaved varieties like White Nancy. Beacon Silver is the purple/pink variety with whiter leaves. I am establishing a bed of Lamium, all different varieties directly under and around a large Crimson King Maple where grass will not grow at all and deer will feed on anything that suits them. Lamium does not suit them, so this plant is perfect for this area. Bill, May, 2006

I've grown this for several years, and find it a very attractive accent plant. The white leaf centers are of a crinkled texture and rimmed with a dark green band. White flower buds appear in late spring.

I have 'White Nancy' and it has not been as vigourous a spreader as I would like or have expected from the description. It is planted in a partially shaded location, with clay soil and average moisture.

'White Nancy' has performed beautifully for me this summer. Planted in dense shade under white pines, and in the company of pink and rose impatiens, astilbe, lirope and hosta, this plant has played its roll well in helping to create a beautiful scene in my first-year border where once there was nothing but poison ivy and Carolina Creeper.

I highly recommend 'White Nancy' and will be trying to locate other lamiums to join her.

A good spreading plant for the shady garden and windowboxes. Spreads slower than Pink Pewter and starts bloom 2-3 weeks later. Foilage is bright, making flowers not so striking but beautiful when combined with red impatients!