General Culture:

Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun. Appreciates some light afternoon shade in hot climates. Too much shade, however, may impede leaf drying and promote the onset of disease (see Problems section below). Avoid overhead watering. If mid-summer foliage decline occurs, pick off damaged leaves as needed. Drought tolerant. Spreads by creeping stems that root as they go along the ground and can be mildly aggressive in rich soils. Plant 12-18" apart for use as ground cover. Divide when necessary or to fill in bare patches. Flowers are not particularly showy, and many gardeners prefer to remove the flowering stems as they appear to enhance the ground cover effect.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

'Primrose Heron' is noted for its unusual foliage color. Dense rosettes of woolly, tongue-shaped leaves (to 4" long) emerge chartreuse in spring, mature to silvery-green in summer and reacquire a yellowish-green cast in autumn. Leaf shape and texture resemble a lamb's ear, hence the common name. This cultivar is grown primarily for its thick, soft, velvety, yellowish-green leaves which typically form a rapidly spreading mat approximately 4-6" off the ground. Leaves are evergreen in warm climates, but will depreciate considerably in harsh winters. Erect, small-leaved flowering stems with terminal spikes of tiny, purplish-pink flowers appear in summer rising above the foliage to 10-12" tall.

Problems:

Tends to rot and develop leaf diseases in humid summer climates. Well-drained soils are essential in order to combat potential rot problems. Even with well-drained soils, some summer die-out may occur where high humidity and/or moisture on foliage is present. 'Primrose Heron' has better resistance to these problems than the species.

Uses:

Foliage provides interesting texture and color to the border or rock garden. Effective edger or small area ground cover.

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