Dead nettles have an unjustified bad reputation in German gardens. Anyone who takes a look at the different deadnettle species will find that there are very pretty and decorative species among them. Worth knowing about the different dead nettle species.

Depending on the species, deadnettle flowers are purple, white or yellow

The six main species of dead nettle

  • White Deadnettle (Lamium album)
  • Red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)
  • Great deadnettle (Lamium orvala)
  • Golden nettle (Lamium galeobdolon)
  • Silver-leaved deadnettle (Lamium argentatum)
  • Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)

White Deadnettle

The white dead nettle is probably the most common dead nettle species. Perhaps you remember as a child pulling out and sucking on the white flowers to enjoy the honeyed nectar?

White dead nettles are used in naturopathy for inflammation and gynecological problems. Just like the "burning" representatives of nettles, you can also prepare deadnettles in the kitchen. The leaves give the salad a mildly spicy note and the flowers make a good edible decoration.

Red deadnettle

Red dead nettles usually do not grow quite as tall as the white dead nettles. Instead, they develop countless pink flowers. In mild winters, red deadnettles continue to bloom undeterred, making them wonderful to plant as a splash of color in nondescript corners of the garden.

Big deadnettle

The large dead nettles are sold in specialist garden shops under the name "Nesselkönig". The perennials develop white-pink flowers. It feels very comfortable in partial shade and is often planted as ground cover.

Common gold-nettle and silver-leaved dead-nettle

Golden yellow flowers appear on the golden nettle, of which there are several subspecies. This deadnettle species blooms only in spring from April to June. The subspecies silver-leaved dead-nettle differs from the common gold-nettle by the silvery foliage and a slightly later flowering period. It blooms into summer.

Spotted deadnettle

The spotted deadnettle captivates with its beautiful, patterned leaves, which range in color from white to silver-grey. The flowers are mostly violet, more rarely white. With good care, this dead nettle species can grow to a height of 80 centimetres. It grows very well in pots.

tips and tricks

Deadnettles are a very good bee pasture and are also visited by many other insects. You should therefore leave a few of the flowering nettles in the garden.

Category:

Herbs