Lady’s Mantle Companion Plants: What to Grow and Avoid

Lady’s Mantle, known botanically as Alchemilla mollis, is a garden perennial valued for its unique foliage and delicate flowers. The plant features soft, scalloped leaves that catch and hold water droplets, making them appear jeweled after rain. Its frothy, chartreuse-colored flower clusters add a soft texture to garden beds.

Ideal Growing Conditions for Lady’s Mantle

Lady’s Mantle is adaptable, thriving in a range of light conditions from full sun to partial shade. In regions with hot climates, providing afternoon shade is beneficial to prevent the leaves from scorching. While it can tolerate various soil types, including clay, it performs best in moist, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter.

This perennial is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, preferring cooler climates that mirror its native mountainous habitats. It maintains a mounded form, typically growing 12 to 24 inches tall and wide. The soil pH can be slightly acidic to neutral, between 5.5 and 7.0. Any plant chosen to grow alongside Lady’s Mantle should be able to flourish under these same conditions.

Top Companion Plant Choices

Plants with purple, blue, or dark red flowers create a striking visual against the lime-green blooms of Alchemilla mollis. The spiky, upright flower stalks of Salvia, particularly varieties like ‘Mainacht’, contrast well with the soft, mounding habit of Lady’s Mantle in a sunny location. Similarly, the tall, spherical flower heads of Alliums rise above the frothy foliage, which serves to hide the often-unattractive dying leaves at the base of the Allium stems.

For shadier spots, several plants offer textural or color contrast:

• Hostas offer a textural counterpoint with their broad, velvety leaves.
• Ferns pair well in these conditions, with their lacy fronds providing a delicate contrast.
• Hardy Geraniums, especially in shades of blue and magenta, are partners that thrive in similar sun or part-shade locations.
• Coral Bells (Heuchera) have a wide variety of foliage colors that can complement or contrast with Lady’s Mantle.

Roses, which can appear bare at their base, benefit from being underplanted with Lady’s Mantle. Its dense foliage covers the “bare legs” of the rose bushes, creating a lush look at ground level. The soft green flowers complement any color of rose bloom. Peonies are another great companion, as their showy blooms are supported by the lasting foliage and flowers of Alchemilla, which provides interest after the peonies have finished their display.

Plants to Avoid Pairing with Lady’s Mantle

Avoid planting Lady’s Mantle with species that require arid or dry conditions. Drought-tolerant succulents, such as Sedum, and Mediterranean herbs like Lavender prefer gritty, dry soil and will not thrive in the moist environment Lady’s Mantle needs. Planting them together means one plant will likely be overwatered or the other underwatered.

Plants that demand acidic soil also make poor partners. Rhododendrons and Azaleas, for example, require a low soil pH to flourish, which is outside the range preferred by Lady’s Mantle. Attempting to keep both happy in the same bed would require difficult soil amendments.

Finally, be cautious when planting aggressive spreaders that could overwhelm the mounding habit of Lady’s Mantle. Certain species of mint, bee balm (Monarda), or Gooseneck Loosestrife can quickly spread through underground rhizomes, choking out less vigorous plants. While Lady’s Mantle can self-seed readily if not deadheaded, it does not spread as invasively as these other perennials.