​Prunella vulgaris ssp. Lanceolata, Lance-leaf Self-heal

A small plant with some big roles to play in native plant gardens. Their common name is a strong hint that they also have big roles to play in herbal medicine apothecary, but that is a bit outside of my expertise.

They are long time residents at the Perth place, since well before my arrival. They were growing in some of the open, meadowy spots and at the margins of the forested areas. The disturbance we caused opened up a few more spaces for them, so their population has grown noticeably. The strip of mixed plants up the center of the driveway has been a favourite place and they have also been thriving in the various garden and lawn spaces that I’ve tucked them into over the last couple of years.

If left to their own devices in an open area they grow to around 16” in height but can stretch taller when competing with neighbours for sunlight and can adapt to staying much shorter if regularly trimmed. Why would you regularly trim them you may ask? Because they are mowing tolerant and one of a few native species that I think could work together to make a nice, foot traffic tolerant, native turf.

In gardens or other mixed plantings, they are one of the species that I would recommend for the oh-so-important groundcover role. They are tolerant of shade from neighbouring plants and excel at filling in the gaps that exist between and below other plants in so many garden settings.

They seem to be equally happy the sand and silt Perth soil and the heavier garden soil in the Ottawa garden. They also seem to be perfectly happy in sun and a fair amount of shade. A patch that receives about 3 hours of direct sun bloomed nearly as profusely as the ones in sunny locations. They are generally unbothered by dry spells but are equally unbothered by damp soil.

If you are looking for companions for a mixed native turf, these are the sun and shade lists that I’ve put together over the last couple of years.

Sunny areas:

• Argentina anserina, Silverweed
• Achillea borealis, Boreal Yarrow
• Antennaria neglecta, Field pussytoes
• Danthonia spicata, Poverty oat grass
• Fragaria virginiana, Virginia Strawberry
• Plantago rugelii, Blackseed Plantain
• Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata, Lance-Leaved Self-Heal

Part shade areas:

• Fragaria vesca, Woodland Strawberry
• Plantago rugelii, Blackseed Plantain
• Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata, Lance-Leaved Self-Heal
• Viola sororia, Woolly Blue Violet

If you are wondering if the Prunella in your yard or garden is this species or the, common in urban settings, European Common Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris var. vulgaris), the distinguishing traits that I’m familiar with are:

- Plant height when not mowed. Lanceleaf grows to around 12” to 16” tall, Common tends to be lower, closer to 6” -This can vary if the plants are stretching for light though.

- The leaf proportion. Lanceleaf leaves about half way up the blooming stem are roughly 3 times as long as they are wide. Common leaves are roughly twice as long as they are wide.

- The shape of the leaf where it joins the petiole (stem part of the leaf). Lanceleaf angles toward the petiole at around 45 degrees. Common curves in much more sharply, almost like the petiole end of a heart shaped leaf.