Lamium orvala

FAIRY LANTERNS

Lamium orvala
FAIRY LANTERNS

Lamium orvala is most unusual, quite unlike any of its regular, well known Lamium relatives.

Show off giant of the Lamium family

Firstly it is the giant of the family – with very large showy heads.
And secondly it is an up-standing and bushy perennial, instead of being a groundcover.

Large showy flower heads of copper-rose pink 

Flowers are of copper-rose pink, definitely not insignificant in size, and stacked in large whorls. Each flower in the head has a big, pouting bottom lip, spotted with deep copper-rose on a white background.

Upstanding bushy perennial clump

Beautiful Lamium orvala forms a shrubby, upright clump rather than a groundcover, in order to pout those bottom lips even more prominently.
(The beautifully marked bottom lips are actually landing strips for the pollinating insects).

Hardy shade lover

Lamium orvala enjoys the shade, forming a rounded clump of toothed leaves to 30cm.
And proudly displaying all those petulant bottom lips in their large tiered heads.
This giant Fairy Lantern really does light up the shade under trees and shrubs with both flowers and foliage.

Attractive foliage as a shade feature

Foliage is heart-shaped, serrated, pleated, and a very fresh lettuce green – so it is an attractive feature in a shaded area, even when the neat clump is not in flower.
Then autumn brings golden foliage colour.

Frost hardy

And it is a completely frost hardy perennial, even in very cold winter areas.
Where it will die back to the root base over winter and then sprout away with lovely, fresh green spring foliage.

Not a water-guzzler

Lamium orvala thrives on average garden watering in a shaded to full shade position.
It is not a water-guzzler, and it has a deep, efficient root system.
Though it may need some water assistance in hot summers, as it is usually competing with the roots of trees and shrubs.
Fairy Lanterns enjoy the humus rich leaf litter or mulch under trees and shrubs, but is not fussy about soil type.
It can cope in different soils from sandy to clay, alkaline to acid.

Handy succession plant with spring bulbs

Lamium orvala is a great over-planting for spring flowering bulbs.
Because the fresh new spring Lamium foliage growth sprouts just when it is needed to overshadow the shabby bulb foliage as the bulbs die away.
Before the Lamium takes centre stage in early summer by showing off those brightly-lit lantern heads.

Repeating feature

And you can cut the clump back hard after blooming – to bring on more of the attractive foliage and another round of Fairy Lantern flowers for autumn show.

Deer & rabbit resistant

While deer dislike the taste of Lamium orvala and rarely touch it, rabbits may be tempted to take a nibble on the fresh, soft spring growth.
However they rarely bother with the mature foliage. Fairy Lanterns are not their favourite fodder.

SEED SOWING ADVICE:

Sow any time of year indoors when temperatures are suitable.
Best sown in autumn, winter or early spring.
Germinates warm: cold: cool.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the seeds in a punnet on the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Now gently pat the seeds to the surface of the raising mix to ensure good contact.
And only barely cover the seeds with sieved mix, as these seeds need light to germinate.

Then stand the sown punnet in a shallow water bath and allow the moisture to percolate up to the surface of the mix from below.

Pre-condition with a period of warmth

Now place the sown, moist punnet in a warm, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight) for 3-4 weeks.
Temperatures of 18-22C are optimum for this warm stage.
It is fine to use a temperature controlled heat mat of you have one to maintain warmth.
Continue to keep the punnet moist by misting from a spray water-bottle.
Covering the punnet with a plastic lid or bag will also help to maintain consistent moisture.

Now give a pretend winter

Now wrap the moist, sown punnet in cling-wrap, or a clip lock bag, and place in the fridge (not the freezer) for 4-6 weeks. Mark the punnet with the date when you should bring it out.
(You can also save fridge room by placing the seed directly into a clip-lock bag with a small amount of  fine-sieved, moist, seed raising mix or fine vermiculite.
Then after the period of chilling in the fridge, you can sow the entire contents of the bag onto the surface of a punnet of seed raising mix).

Then bring out to a cool, well-lit position

After the period of chilling remove from the fridge, moisten the sown punnet again, and place in a cool, well-lit position (not in any direct sunlight).

Temperatures of 10-12°C are best for rapid and optimum germination – so you may want to place the punnet outside on the verandah to take advantage of the cold winter nights.
(It is a good idea to mouse and bird proof any punnets outdoors – so cover with some fine net or bird wire).

Seedlings begin to emerge in approx. 14-42 days.
* Please note it is normal for Lamium orvala seeds to stagger their germination. Some seeds will come more quickly, while others will be slower. This is a natural defensive mechanism of the plant.
Be patient – do not discard the punnet too quickly.

Harden the seedlings off before finally planting out in the garden.

Seed Count: 5 seeds per pack. (Seed of this lovely perennial is scarce).

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