Alchemilla Mollis or Lady's Mantle

Alchemilla Mollis (Lady's Mantle) is an RHS AGM winning semi-evergreen perennial with lime green foliage and sprays of yellow flowers. It creates excellent ground cover in shade or sun and suits the front of an informal flower border.

Alchemilla Mollis is native to Southern Europe, but it’s grown throughout the world as an attractive ground cover. Its name ‘alchemilla’ comes from its leaf shape that holds water. Alchemists believed this was the purest water form and valued it as an ingredient to transform metal into gold. Its more common name ‘Lady’s Mantle’ is from its feminine leaves that were thought to resemble the Virgin Mary’s cloak and because it was historically used in women’s herbal medicine. 

No matter what name you call it, this semi-evergreen perennial is a useful addition to all styles of garden. It tolerates sun and shade and doesn’t get too tall, spreading in an attractive mound of lime green foliage. In spring, tiny yellow-lime green flowers bloom and mature to rich yellow over the summer months.

Versatile Lady’s Mantle will grow in any well-drained aspect from shade to sun and fill an informal garden with colour.

Height And Spread of Alchemilla Mollis
Lady’s Mantle reaches a maximum height and spread of 60 cms.

How Hardy is Alchemilla Mollis
This is a very hardy semi-evergreen. The RHS has ranked it as H7 which is their hardiest grade. It copes with drought, pollution and freezing winters if not waterlogged.

How To Use Alchemilla Mollis
Lady’s Mantle is best used in informal spaces as a border filler, a soil protector and beneath trees or hedges in shade.
Its versatile nature means it will grow almost anywhere including slopes, banks, hot gravel gardens, shady, moist conditions, front gardens and low maintenance wildlife gardens.
If you like no maintenance plants then Lady’s Mantle is an excellent choice.

How to Care For Alchemilla Mollis
Barely any care is required and Lady’s Mantle can be left to grow after it’s established without intervention. 
Choose an exposed or sheltered spot in any type of soil, except permanently waterlogged areas, and water it well until established.
There’s no need to prune it, but you can remove the flower heads once they’re spent to tidy up its appearance.