I Spy in the Sea to Sky – Yellow Lamium

I Spy in the Sea to Sky…

A low growing plant with attractive leaves

In hanging baskets and beneath shady trees.

Letting it spread will put your native plants in a squeeze!

Yellow Lamium (or Yellow archangel) is often sold in hanging baskets or planters because it spreads fast, is shade tolerant, and has attractive looking leaves. But buyers beware, this plant will spread out of your baskets and along the ground, creeping into nearby forests and throughout your yard.

Lamium sends down roots every few inches, and re-grows easily after you have pulled it out, making it extremely difficult to remove. It does not die back in the winter and is easy to spot in forested areas along the Valley Trail in Whistler, and in Garibaldi Highlands in Squamish, where it has crept under people’s fences and is smothering the low-growing native vegetation.

There are many other attractive shade-tolerant native plants that can be planted instead of Yellow Lamium. Native Coral Bells (Heuchera) are especially showy, and do extremely well in containers.

About author Claude-Anne Godbout-Gauthier

Clo is the Communications and Outreach Manager at SSISC, and has been writing about all things invasive since 2018. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy and Program Evaluation, and a college degree in Horticulture.
There's a special place in her heart for a good pun, knitting, and outdoor activities. She hails from Gatineau, Quebec.