Unpack bare roots or rhizomes on arrival and plant them within a week. Until then, keep them somewhere cool and ensure the roots remain slightly moist, never wet.
Out of season
Alchemilla mollis
lady's mantle
Alchemilla mollis, better known as lady’s mantle, is a quietly hardworking perennial with a softness that belies its strength. Forming a generous, rounded clump, Alchemilla mollis produces velvety, light green leaves with scalloped, gently toothed edges, each leaf catching raindrops like scattered pearls. In early summer, clouds of tiny, bright yellow flowers rise just above the foliage, creating a luminous haze that weaves effortlessly through borders. There is an ease to Alchemilla mollis that makes it invaluable, softening hard edges, linking neighbouring plants and bringing cohesion to mixed planting schemes. Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, lady’s mantle has long been valued for its reliability and garden-worthiness, as well as its ability to look beautiful without demanding attention.
Exceptionally versatile, Alchemilla mollis thrives in sun or partial shade and copes well with a wide range of soils, provided drainage is reasonable. It works beautifully at the front of borders, along paths or as a gentle underplanting for roses and shrubs, where its fresh colouring lifts richer tones. The flowers of Alchemilla mollis are excellent for cutting and drying, while the foliage remains attractive for much of the season, especially if trimmed back after flowering. Robust, long-lived and quietly elegant, Alchemilla mollis is a perennial that earns its place many times over, offering structure, softness and a reassuring sense of abundance year after year.
Quantity
Plant profile
Plant calendar
Remove the packaging straight away, check the compost and water thoroughly if dry. Check the plant’s hardiness before placing it outdoors. Plant into a border or permanent container within a month, choosing the position recommended for the variety. Keep the top of the root ball level with the surrounding soil, firm gently and water well.
Soak the roots in water for three to six hours immediately before planting. Keep any crown, buds or emerging shoots above the water where possible.
Pot most bare roots into 15–20cm pots filled with peat-free multipurpose compost. Large or depth-sensitive roots, including peonies, are often best planted directly into borders.
Arrange the roots naturally without bending them. Cover the roots completely, positioning the crown and buds at the depth recommended for that particular perennial.
Keep pots in a sheltered outdoor position and water whenever the compost begins to dry. Grow on until roots hold the compost together when lifted from the pot.
Plant into a suitable border or permanent container once well rooted. Add a label and water regularly throughout the first growing season while the perennial establishes.
- Botanical name
-
Alchemilla mollis
syn. Alchemilla grandiflora hort. - Flower colour
- Green
- Established height
- 20-30cm
- Established spread
- 20-30cm
- Growing skill
- Easy to grow
- Habit
-
Upright
Clump-forming - Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Leaf colour
- Green
- Mouse resistant
- Yes
- Plant size
- 1
- Plant spacing
- 12 plants per m2
- Pollinator friendly
- No
- Position
- Sheltered
- Rabbit resistant
- Yes
- RHS Award (AGM)
- Yes
- Scented
- No
- Soil acidity
- Any
- Soil moisture
-
Free draining
Damp - Soil type
-
Loam
Sandy
Clay
Stony
Multipurpose compost
Loam-based compost - Suitable for
-
Borders
Cottage gardens
Low maintenance gardens
Cut flower gardens - Sunlight
-
Full sun
Partial shade
Full shade
Dappled shade - Toxicity
- No report
- Years to establish
- 1-2 years
Good for cutting
Pollinator-friendly
Great for shade
RHS Recommended
Perennial
Fully hardy
Packed peat-free
Low maintenance
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