Lady's Mantle 'Thriller'
Lady's Mantle 'Thriller'

Multi Buy

Size Guide
3.5
3.5" Perennial
3 or more $6.00 ea
Regularly: $6.99 ea

Lady's Mantle 'Thriller'

Scott's Nursery Ltd.

$3.50
Title
Bring a touch of fairy-tale magic and exquisite texture to your garden beds with this enchanting perennial! It features large, softly hairy, scallop-edged leaves in a soothing shade of chartreuse green. The unique velvety texture of the foliage catches morning dew and raindrops, holding them like shimmering liquid diamonds in the sunlight. In early summer, the plant is crowned with dense, frothy clouds of tiny, star-like, chartreuse-yellow flowers that seem to float effortlessly above the leaves, creating a soft, romantic, mist-like effect.
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Plant Details

Mature Size:

18" H x 24" W

Zone:

3-8

Watering:

Medium to High

Type:

Herbaceous Perennial

Growth Rate:

Moderate - Fast

Light:

Full Shade/Part Shade

Plant Profile

Common Names:

Garden Lady's Mantle, Thriller Alchemilla, Bear's Foot, and Lion's Foot

Scientific Name:

Alchemilla mollis 'Thriller'

Type:

Filler / Softening Border Plant

Growth Details:

Mature Size: Grows to a uniform height of 15–18 inches with a lush, mounding spread of 18–24 inches.

Growth Habit & Form: Mounding and clump-forming, creating a dense, structural dome of overlapping, scalloped leaves.

Growth Rate: Moderate to fast-growing, quickly expanding into a full, robust specimen within its first season.

Flowering & Flower Colour: Produces immense, airy, frothy sprays of tiny, star-shaped blossoms in a vibrant chartreuse-yellow hue.

Flowering Time: Prolific, show-stopping bloom display blankets the plant from early summer through mid-summer (June to July).

Environmental Needs:

Exposure: Dappled woodland shade or morning sun with afternoon protection is highly preferred.

Soil Preferences: Thrives best in rich, fertile, organic-matter-heavy soils that retain moisture well.

Soil Tolerance: Highly tolerant of heavy clay and moist soils, but will struggle and decline rapidly in hot, bone-dry sand.

Watering: Regular, consistent watering; irrigate thoroughly once or twice a week during dry summer stretches to keep the foliage lush.

Container Role: Functions beautifully as a broad, structural "Filler" that cascades slightly over the edges of large shaded patio planters.

Special Features:

Water-Beading Foliage: The fine, soft hairs on the leaves exhibit a fascinating hydrophobic property, causing water to form perfect, jewel-like beads on the surface.

Resistances: High built-in resistance to browsing deer and rabbits due to the unique texture of its velvety leaves.

Improved Variety: The 'Thriller' cultivar is specially bred to feature larger leaves, a more uniform mounding habit, and much more prolific flower production than the standard species.
Care Guide

Ornamental & Landscape Value

Seasonal Interest:

Bloom Information: Massive, frothy clouds of highly showy chartreuse flowers create a stunning display above the leaves for weeks in summer.

Fall Colour: The large, scalloped leaves retain their rich, clean green coloration through autumn after a mid-summer shearing.

Winter Interest: Deciduous; foliage dies back completely to the ground after a hard winter freeze, re-emerging early and aggressively the following spring.

Garden Value:

This plant offers massive landscaping value as an exceptional groundcover and softening border plant for shady areas. It is widely used for edging pathways, underplanting beneath large shrubs or trees, defining cottage gardens, and lining naturalized woodland streams. Its unique chartreuse color palette acts as a brilliant visual blender, softening the transition between bright flowering plants and deep green foliage.

Wildlife & Human Value:

Wildlife Value: The masses of open, tiny summer blossoms act as a reliable nectar source for native pollinators, drawing in honeybees, hoverflies, and beneficial solitary bees.

Human Value: Historically used in traditional herbal medicine, delivers immense therapeutic tactile interest to children's or sensory gardens, and provides an elegant, low-maintenance alternative to grass turf in damp, shaded yards.

Planting & Care Guide

Planting Considerations:

Best Time To Plant: Early spring when the soil is cool and moist, or early autumn to let roots establish before winter freezes.

Spacing: Space individual plants 18 to 24 inches apart from the center to allow for their broad, mounding nature.

Location Tips: Select a sheltered site with moisture-retentive soil; perfect for north-facing foundations or shaded borders.

Companion Plants: Pairs magnificently with other shade-lovers like Hostas, Ferns, Astilbe, Coral Bells (Heuchera), and Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera).

Care:

Light Requirements: Thrives best in partial shade to full shade, but can tolerate full sun in cool-summer regions if the soil is kept consistently moist.

Moisture Requirements: Needs moderate to high, consistent moisture; the soil should stay evenly damp and never be allowed to bake or dry out completely.

Maintenance & Fertilization: Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring to encourage lush, expansive foliage. Give the plant an aggressive haircut by shearing back both the faded flower stalks and old leaves in mid-summer; this prevents self-seeding and instantly triggers a fresh flush of immaculate, velvety new leaves for the autumn.

Tolerances:

Heavy Clay, Deep Shade, Wet Soils, Black Walnut Toxicity, Deer, and Rabbits.

Tips For Success:

Prevent Seeding: If you want to stop the plant from spreading to other areas of the garden, shear off the flower stalks as soon as they begin to turn tan or brown in mid-summer.

Revitalize in Heat: If the leaves look scorched or tired during intense summer heatwaves, cut the entire plant down to 2 inches from the soil; with regular watering, a brand-new mound of fresh leaves will appear in less than two weeks.

Excellent Cut Flower: The airy, frothy flower stems make top-tier fillers for fresh or dried floral arrangements, bringing a modern chartreuse accent to bouquets.
Fruit Profile