Cooley's Hedge Nettle Seeds (Stachys cooleyae)

A Brilliantly Colorful Hummingbird Plant! 

One of the first great discoveries when we acquired our farm was finding a huge population of this beautiful plant. One of the second great discoveries, was how little seed each beautiful plant produces! This in fact is one of the hardest species we work with in terms of seed yield.

Cooley's hedge nettle thrives in damp soils and partial shade, typically appearing at the edge of forest clearings, in roadside ditches that haven't been overrun by invasive plants, and along hedgerows intertwined with species such as Nootka rose, snowberry, and rose spirea. It makes a great rain garden plant with a high tolerance for occasional short durations of flooding. 

This tall (up to 5 foot high) member of the mint family hums with bumble bees when it's in flower and patches are often guarded by territorial hummingbirds that chase off nectar-seeking intruders. 

Plants tend to sucker, so if you can get a few established and keep competing vegetation at bay, they have a good potential to spread. Note that they are heavily browsed by deer, so select appropriately based upon your site. 

Cooley's hedge nettle is closely related to wood betony (Stachys officinalis) the famed medieval European herb that was claimed to help with everything from warding off ghosts to curing gastrointestinal distress. With benefits like that, everyone needs some of this growing around the house!

Approximately 100 seeds (0.2 gram).