Lady's Mantle
Alchemilla vulgaris

Mediaeval alchemists - from whose science alchemilla derives its name- certainly valued the plant for wounds, for herbal baths and to promote quiet sleep if the leaves were placed under the pillow at night. Especially valued were the dewdrops that sit upon the leaves like crystal beads. It is mainly for its handsome leaves - broad, pleated blue-green, scalloped along the edges, fresh from spring to fall - that alchemilla is now grown. Lady's mantle can be a neat specimen plant repeated at intervals along the edge of a shady border or a tallish ground cover, but not in the dry shade directly under trees. For best effect, give each plant an 18 inch diameter to fill without competition. Lady's mantle grows both in shade and in full sun, but shade is a must in hotter southerly gardens. Lady's mantle is difficult to start from seed, I prefer to start new clumps by splitting established ones in the spring.