Lady’s mantle adapts to sun, partial shade

Lady’s mantle – I’m fond of evocative plant names like this.

Just look at the lovely pleated leaves when covered in dew. As they unfold and grow, you can see the resemblance to a lady’s enveloping cloak or mantle.

In herbal lore, the lady is thought to be the Madonna.

Its botanical name, Alchemilla, is linked to the ancient Arabic word “alkemelych” with its overtones of magic and alchemy.

The Arabic word actually means “little magical one” and refers to the plant’s healing properties. And the dew drops on the leaves were thought to be able to turn ordinary metals into gold – alchemy at work.

Common lady’s mantle, Alchemilla mollis, can add a touch of magic to any garden. The pleated leaves form a 1-foot mound, with flower stalks that add another foot. This time of year, the clouds of tiny, soft, chartreuse flowers sway above the foliage.

The plant is equally at home in sun or part shade.

I’ve planted lady’s mantle with lavender and flowering sages in sunny areas, and with hostas in dappled shade. It may self-seed, but the seedlings come up easily, and I’ve never found them unmanageable.

The flowers look good in both fresh and dried arrangements.

Alchemilla erythropoda is a dwarf version that’s only about a foot tall, including the flower stalks. Otherwise it looks much like its larger relative, but the flowers turn reddish in fall.

It does well in the rock garden and along walkways and looks good bordering a perennial bed.

Mountain or alpine lady’s mantle, A. alpina, is low-growing, too, with flower stalks to about 8 inches. The leaves are a darker shade of green, silvery on the underside, with white margins that are especially prominent when they first emerge.

It makes a good ground cover in shadier areas.

The smallest lady’s mantle in my garden, A. faeroensis “Pumila,” is a true miniature, only 3 inches tall, with silver-edged leaves – a really tiny charmer. It’s comfortable in the rock garden and doesn’t mind growing under other plants.