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Background
Info
US & Canada Planting Zones
Background
Growing
Lion's Tail
Lion's
Tail, Lion's Ear, Motherwort
Drying
Plants & Flowers
Herbal
Preparations
Herbal
First Aid Kit
This
Plant is
A Butterfly & Hummingbird
Garden Selection
Did You Know?
Lion's Ear leaves
were smoked by the Hottentot tribe of South Africa to produce a mild
psychoactive effect.
Natural
Pest &
Environment Controls
PyolaTM
and Soap-Shield®
Save on this Special Spray Combo
Gardeners should have these two products on hand right from the start
of the season -- Pyola to control insect pests and Soap-Shield to fight
disease. Buy combo and pay $5.95 less than if purchased separately!
Escar-Go!
Protect your plants from nasty slug damage. Lured by the tasty bait,
slugs and snails stop feeding soon after they eat Escar-Go!
Flowers
Alive!™
Slow-release nutrients encourage prolific bloom without excess foliage
growth. Research shows: 81% more geranium and 66% more zinnia flowers!
Selected nutrients help annuals produce spectacular color all season
long. Great for rejuvenating perennials, too! 3 lb bag.
 
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June 2004
Ever
since I put a little plant in the ground, it just grew and
grew. The a volunteer sprung up in front of it, and that
just grew and grew too, resulting in a spectacular burst
of orange when both bushes are in full bloom. Lion's ear
is a coarse textured, rather gangly plant and not well suited
for formal or very tidy gardens. It is great for a butterfly
garden or a naturalized shrub and perennial garden, especially
behind shorter, bushier plants. The flowers are produced
very high, above most of the other annuals and perennials.
In fact, if you cut back after flowering, new stalks will
just grow on top of the old ones! The hummingbirds really
love this plant. They hover next to a flower or even perch
right on a cluster and drink for 10 seconds or more at a
time, which is longer than they linger at almost any other
kind of flower. As a cut flower, this plant is great because
it grows so big that you have virtually an endless supply
of area to cut from! It doesn't smell that great, so be sure
to pair it with other more fragrant offerings. (I've been
known to mix it in with huge bunches of rosemary!) Just take
the leaves off of the stalk, because they will wither long
before the flower fades, and you can have the flowers fill
out a bouquet for almost 2 weeks!
2002
The
beauty of the substantial orange flowers and the height of
this plant made it an instant favorite with me. It blooms
all through summer and even into fall, and when you cut it
back, it just grows back with increased vigor. My kind of
plant! Careful not to give it too much water though; remember,
this plant came to us from Africa, and as such, its
water needs are quite modest.
Return
to Vegetable
& Flower Index
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