Lady's Mantle

How to grow Lady's Mantle

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team · Last reviewed 21 July 2026 · Written for UK gardens · How we research our guidance

Planting

Plant in autumn or spring; it will grow in almost any soil and copes with both sun and part shade. It is a standard front-of-border and path-edge plant because the mounded leaves soften hard lines. Space about 45 cm apart.

Pruning

Cut the whole plant hard back to the ground as soon as the flowers start to go brown, usually late July or August. Fresh foliage regrows within a few weeks and looks good into autumn. Cutting back early also stops most of the self-seeding.

Propagation

Divide in spring or autumn. Alternatively lift self-sown seedlings, of which there will be plenty, and move them where you want them.

Pests and diseases

Largely trouble-free. Occasional slug damage on emerging leaves.

Value to wildlife

The small green-yellow flowers attract hoverflies and other small pollinators, and the leaves shelter ground beetles and other insects.

Notes

The one real fault is prolific self-seeding into gravel, paving joints and neighbouring clumps. Cutting the plant back before the seed ripens solves it almost entirely, so make that your one annual job.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Alchemilla mollis but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Others in Alchemilla