Stachys byzantina (Big Ears)

Soft, tactile and beautifully understated, Stachys byzantina (Big Ears), or ‘Helene von Stein’ is a cultivar of the much-loved Lamb’s Ear, prized for its larger velvety, silver foliage and more restrained flowering habit. Forming a dense, low-growing ground cover, its thick furry leaves introduce texture and shadow while softening hardscape elements. Although rare, it may produce small, pale purple flowers in late spring to early summer.
With its muted silver tones and drought tolerance, Stachys has become a staple of contemporary, Mediterranean and coastal garden design. It performs exceptionally well in Australian conditions, where its evergreen foliage provides year-round coverage and complements both modern and traditional landscapes.

Growing Conditions

Stachys byzantina thrives in full sun to part shade and prefers well-drained soil. Once established, it is highly drought tolerant and requires very little supplemental watering.
Typically growing to around 20–40cm high with a spread of up to 60cm, it naturally forms generous clumps that gradually knit together into a soft, silvery groundcover. While adaptable to a range of soil types, good drainage is essential, particularly during wetter months, to prevent crown rot.

Care & Maintenance

Big Ears is an exceptionally low-maintenance plant that requires minimal attention once established.
Remove damaged or yellowing leaves as required to keep the foliage looking fresh throughout the year. Spent flower spikes can be cut back if a cleaner, more architectural appearance is desired.
Every few years, established clumps can be divided to maintain vigour and encourage healthy new growth.

Garden design

Stachys byzantina is one of the most versatile foliage plants available for contemporary landscape design. Its soft silver foliage provides a calming visual contrast to deep green planting and architectural shrubs, while beautifully complementing natural materials such as bluestone, limestone, burnished concrete and timber.
At NBLA, we often use Stachys as a unifying groundcover beneath feature trees, woven throughout layered planting schemes or as border planting alongside paving where its tactile quality can be appreciated up close. Mass planting creates a striking silver ground plane that brings cohesion to larger gardens while softening the edges of hardscape elements.

Best suited to:

Contemporary gardens
Luxury residential landscapes
Mediterranean gardens
Coastal gardens
Dry or water-wise planting schemes
Garden borders and pathways
Planting beneath feature trees
Mass groundcover planting
Courtyard gardens