Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
[al-kem-ILL-ah MAWL-iss]

Deciduous Perennial Mounding in the Rosaceae Family
Soft green foliage with rounded lobed leaves and tiny yellow star-shaped flowers.

Alchemilla mollis is an understated, classy perennial valued as much for its foliage as its flowers. Native to mountainous parts of Europe (the Carpathians and the Caucasus), it forms a soft mound of rounded, scalloped, downy leaves that visitors often notice most just after rain or dew, when droplets bead up on the leaf surface almost like mercury.

The genus name Alchemilla comes from medieval alchemists, who considered the dew collected in these leaves the purest form of water and used it in early attempts to turn base metal into gold — one of the more charming plant-name origin stories in the garden.

In summer it sends up airy sprays of tiny, star-shaped chartreuse flowers that pair well with almost anything nearby, and it tolerates a wide range of light and soil conditions, from full sun to fairly deep shade.

Pros

  • Pretty, rounded leaves that catch rain or dew and shimmer like they have diamonds on them each morning
  • Can tolerate full sun to partial shade
  • Deer and rabbit resistant

Cons

  • Understated, definitely not a “showstopper” flower producer
  • Can spread like a groundcover if you let her
Why Like A genuinely easy, adaptable groundcover-type perennial that tolerates everything from full sun to fairly deep shade, is deer- and rabbit-resistant, and holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Its soft, dew-catching leaves and airy chartreuse flower sprays have made it a mainstay of cottage-garden and cut-flower plantings for generations, and its name carries a genuinely fun bit of garden history: medieval alchemists believed the dew that collects in perfect beads on its leaves was the purest form of water, and used it in early attempts at turning base metal into gold.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 18 inches tall. 18 - 24 inches wide.
Growth Rate Moderate
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium : Moist, but not wet.
Zones 3a - 8b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Attracts Butterflies, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Full Sun, Good for Borders, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Cut Flowers, Good for Mass Planting, Groundcover, Medium, Most Popular, Mounded, Naturalizing, Normal Soil, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Perennial, Rabbit Resistant, Tolerant of Loamy Soil, Tolerant of Moist Soil, Well-Drained Soil Partial Sun Perennials, Spring Blooming Perennials, Yellow or Orange Flowering Perennials
Bloom Period April to August
Flower Color Chartreuse
Foliage Color
 

Most Popular Plants
 

Absolutely Easy Garden Recipes that include Lady's Mantle
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Astilbe, Heuchera, Geranium, Geum, Rose, Salvia

Photos of This with...

Thriller Lady's Mantle, Astilbe, Blue False Indigo, Whitespire Gray Birch, Allgold Broom, Apricot Chiffon California Poppy, Cranesbill, Gold Standard Hosta, Golden Tiara Hosta, Hadspen Blue Hosta, Hidcote St. John's Wort, Polar Ice Small-cupped Daffodil, Lemon Ice African Daisy, Forest Flame Lily Of The Valley Bush, Cannon's Double Azalea, Golden Flare Azalea, Lyrical White Meadow Sage, Blue Hill Wood Sage, Big Ears Lamb's Ear, Golden Artist Tulip,
 
Want More photos of this plant? Try Google Image Search!
 


Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 04/03 - 10/04
2024 : 05/01 - 10/05
2023 : 05/04 - 09/30


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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


Estimated Recipe Cost

The cost of this recipe's ingredients will vary depending on the season and the sizes and varieties you select.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!