How to Grow and Care for Spotted Dead Nettle

Attractive Groundcover Choice for Shade

By David Beaulieu

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David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience.

Updated on 09/17/24

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Spotted dead nettle is a perennial groundcover that grows as an evergreen in warm regions and as a semi-evergreen, herbaceous plant everywhere else. It prefers growing in acidic soil in the shade and is particularly helpful for filling bare patches of ground that weeds would otherwise take over.

Although it has a bitter, peppery taste, spotted dead nettle is edible, and it contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-fungal and antibacterial properties. It is used in teas, salad, stew, quiche, and smoothies.

Spotted Dead Nettle Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a spotted dead nettle:

• Choose a spot with partial sunlight or in the shade.
• Plant in loamy, well-draining soil.
• Water regularly, and don't let the soil dry out.
• Prepare for it to spread easily wherever its stems touch the soil.

Warning

Spotted dead nettle grows aggressively and is invasive in Kentucky.

Light

Grow spotted dead nettles in full to partial shade. They will not require much water when grown in full shade, which makes them a good choice for low-maintenance landscaping. They are one of the best perennials for shade.

Soil

Install the plants in acidic, well-drained, loamy soil. If your soil has a lot of clay, add compost to improve drainage.

Water

Spotted dead nettles tolerate even shady areas that have dry soil. This ground cover requires very little care if planted in full shade. However, the more sunshine you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil.

Temperature and Humidity

Spotted dead nettle has a wide growing range, perennial in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8, but it does not do well in very warm, humid locations.

Fertilizer

Compost should be sufficient, as the plants do not require rich soil. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil.

Types of Spotted Dead Nettle

There are several cultivars of the L. maculatum, including:

• Purple Dragon: Purplish flowers and silver foliage
• White Nancy: White flowers, silvery leaves
• Beedham's White: White flowers, leaves chartreuse and white
• Cannon's Gold: Pink flowers, chartreuse foliage
• Orchid Frost: Pink-purple flowers; leaves silver in the center and green at the edge
• Anne Greenway: Mauve flowers; green, chartreuse, and silver leaves
• Aureum: Pink flowers; leaves golden on the edge, white in the center
• Ghost: Light-purple flowers; leaves almost wholly silver; taller (up to 14 inches)

Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles

While dead nettle plants are flowering perennials, stinging nettles are noxious weeds. The unusual common name of "dead nettles" alludes to the fact that, while it resembles stinging nettles, the stingers are dead on L. maculatum, making it harmless.

Pruning

Spotted dead nettles should be pruned in the summer after the first blooming period. Cutting the stems with clean pruners will stimulate new growth. Mature plants that have gotten "leggy" should be cut down to just above the ground, which will then grow back into a bushy, compact plant.

Propagating Spotted Dead Nettle

Spotted dead nettles propagate easily by themselves from runners, by dividing, or from cuttings. Here's how:

Runners

1. Locate where the runners have rooted themselves into the ground.
2. Cut the runner off with pruning shears, plant it in another spot, and then water it.

Division

1. Carefully dig up the entire plant.
2. Using a knife, divide it into sections.
3. Replant them in a suitable location and water.

Cuttings

1. Select a branch and cut it off the plant.
2. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch.
3. Push the bare part of the branch into the soil at the desired location and water.

Overwintering

This plant is deciduous in areas with colder weather but stays semi-evergreen in other regions. Depending on where you live, you can cut spotted dead nettles back after the first frost to encourage new growth in the springtime.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Spotted dead nettles have few problems in northern regions. In the South, they may develop problems with leaf spotting and downy mildew due to high humidity. Common pests for spotted dead nettles are slugs and snails, which seem to be the main pests for this plant.

How to Get Spotted Dead Nettle to Bloom

Bloom Months

Spotted dead nettle flowers from late spring to early summer. Some types bloom throughout the entire growing season.

How Long Does Spotted Dead Nettle Bloom?

Blooms typically last about six weeks. However, the plant may bloom from April to November in optimal climate conditions.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Pruning after the first bloom should produce a second set of flowers. Deadheading will encourage more blooms.

Common Problems With Spotted Dead Nettle

Spotted dead nettle is a low-maintenance and easy plant to grow. It's a shade-happy plant, but climate and sun conditions can adversely affect these plants.