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What to do with Stachys?

FireFire Posts: 19,096
in Problem solving
My Stachys has collapsed. I grow it for the bee nesting boxes nearby. The use the material for nest building, the flowers have just about gone over. Should I cut it back? I will move it to open ground in the autumn.

Ideas? Thanks.




Posts

  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    Yes, you can definitely cut it back. I've got some in a pot like yours and some in the ground, and the one in the pot I normally cut down once the flowers are done. It leaves a low cover of leaves still, which stay throughout autumn/winter, and then grows back with abandon next year.

    (the patch in the ground was when I had to split the one in the pot because it became too congested. Now I've just got double the amount of stachys I had two years ago...! :) )
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Stachys in the garden can be a real thug.  I have a constant battle with new seedlings appearing despite having ripped as much of it out as possible about 3 years ago.  Shame, as the insects love it.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Thanks. I haven't found it to be a thug, just flopping and growing horizontally, though healthy. The rain and wind doesn't help the matter. The bees adore it.
  • Anna33Anna33 Posts: 316
    I absolutely love my stachys, and it's a plant that will be in any garden I ever have. I don't think it's a thug as it's easy enough for me to split and keep in check, and I haven't had any issues with self seeding, but it's definitely one that can run rampant if left to its own devices in open ground. But, as you said, the bees love it, which means its a keeper!
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    They do appreciate good living! One that got left behind in the veg garden, after a change of plan, is 5 times bigger than the bit growing on the edge of the border over a drystone wall :)
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