Lady’s mantle, the woman’s herb

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Soft pleated leaves spread into low mounds four to twenty inches high, topped from spring to early autumn by a froth of tiny flowers: lady’s mantle (Alchemilla) is grown as much for that foliage, long valued for its medicinal properties and chopped into salads as a herb. Keep the soil cool, in sun or part shade, and it asks for nothing more.

Easy to grow, its foliage is what is particularly interesting, especially for its medicinal properties and flavor for spice!

Planting lady’s mantle

It’s possible to plant Alchemilla in different seasons, from spring to fall, but it’s always best to avoid times of freezing and excessively warm or dry weather.

• Lady’s Mantle rejoices in all kinds of soil, but it most prefers it cool.
• It likes full sun, but also does very well in part shade.

Lady’s mantle is hardy, and once well settled in, it shouldn’t suffer during winter bouts of freezing. It may lose its leaves on very cold nights, but they should grow back in spring.

• For that, simple mulch at the foot of the plant will suffice.
• Propagate through crown division at the end of winter.

Pruning and caring for lady’s mantle

Easy to care for, you won’t need to spend time caring for Alchemilla during the year. It won’t give you any problems.

• It doesn’t need any pruning.
  If your plant grows very quickly, it may be worthwhile to prune it in fall.
• Remove wilted flowers regularly to increase the second blooming, in fall.
  That also keeps the plant from re-seeding itself too much, which would make it invasive.

Lift and split congested clumps when the centre of the mound starts to open out and go bare.

All there is to know about lady’s mantle

Lady’s mantle, also called Alchemilla and even “woman’s herb” for the many health benefits it brings to Ladies, was in the Middle Ages a key ingredient in many “magic potions” of the time!

• As beautiful when it blooms as it is when it simply spreads out its leaves, it is a plant that goes very well along edges and in perennial flower beds.

The main varieties are Alchemilla mollis and Alchemilla erythropoda. Another variety, Alchemilla montana, is shown in the main picture of this article.

Discovered in 1570 by Andrés Laguna de Segovia, a Spanish botanist and doctor, Alchemilla is most often used as a dried powder mixed into a glass of red wine as a plaster for wounds. It’s also recommended as an infusion to treat broken or cracked bones in infants and young children.

Using lady’s mantle

• Skin lotion – Boil 1 ½ oz (50 g) dried plant for 1 quart (1 liter) to prepare skin lotion.
  This potion soothes small inflammations, acne and helps remove benign scars.
• Infusion – the dried plant can also be used in infusions during painful menstruation and blood circulation disorders.
• Herbs and spice – Thinly chopped Alchemilla will season mixed salads deliciously.

Ask a doctor before taking lady’s mantle internally if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication.

Ways to use lady’s mantle, side by side

The dried plant, the fresh leaves and the powder are each put to a different purpose. Here is what the article describes, and what each preparation is meant to do.

Whichever preparation you choose, the plant must first be dried properly.