LAMIUM maculatum. Dead nettle. An attractive perennial ground cover with a very unlovely common name. It has trailing stems which take root where they touch the ground, forming low carpets. Closely set along these are neat pairs of broad 1-2" leaves, usually marked with white or cream on a dark background. Short, dense clusters of helmeted blossoms resembling those of Prunella (see below) decorate the plants in summer. Our current offerings include ‘Beacon Silver’, with strikingly silvery leaves edged in green and pink flowers; ‘Pink Pewter’, leaves nearly as silvery and darker pink flowers; ‘Shell Pink’, combining white-spotted leaves and masses of pink flowers; and ‘White Nancy’, with almost uniformly silvery foliage and white flowers. Light to medium shade, non-alkaline soils, regular watering. Hardy to below 0^oF.