Lady's Mantle

It's taken a few years, but the first lady's mantles I've planted are starting to come into their own. They aren't yet showing the masses of flowers I've seen in so many catalogs and magazines, but the last few years they've gotten much larger and floriferous. The A. pubescens with its silver-edged leaves (top photo) is new to me this year so I can't comment on how it compares to A. mollis (bottom photo) which I've been growing for quite a while. I don't give them any special care. They seem to be tolerant of shade and neglect. After flowering, of course, I sometimes deadhead them. If allowed to go to seed they aren't invasive and I sometimes move the seedlings to pots to grow on with mixed success.

I think Lady's Mantle has some potential for developing new cultivars. For example, I'd really like to see a form with darker, more blue-green foliage. I don't know if it's actually possible, but it would really show off the flowers. If you happen to know of such a cultivar, let me know.