Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla) is hands-down one of the most low-maintenance and hardy perennials you can add to your garden. But don’t let its easy-going nature fool you—this medicinal herb grows incredibly fast! Even though it’s not picky, it does need a regular trim to keep it from taking over your entire flower bed. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to prune your Lady’s Mantle like a pro.
1. Harvesting Your Lady’s Mantle
If you want to tap into the famous healing powers of Lady’s Mantle, you’ll want to make sure you harvest it at the right time. The magic happens right when the plant starts to bloom. During this window, you can snip off the flowers, leaves, and stems to use for all sorts of home remedies.
Once you’ve gathered your harvest, you’ll need to dry the herbs to preserve them. Just a quick tip: keep them away from high heat and direct sunlight while drying. If they get too much sun, the leaves will turn brown and lose those potent active ingredients we’re looking for.
The Harvest Cut: Putting Those Clippings to Use
There is so much you can do with dried Lady’s Mantle! You can brew it into a soothing tea, toss it into a healthy smoothie, or use it to create custom salves, tinctures, and serums. It’s even great for herbal compresses or as a natural mouthwash.
Lady’s Mantle is a favorite in traditional herbalism and is said to offer some pretty amazing benefits:
- Relieves uterine cramping (great for period pain)
- Helps balance premenstrual mood swings
- Supports fertility when trying to conceive
- Promotes milk flow during breastfeeding
- Offers calming and anti-inflammatory properties
- Acts as a natural astringent
- Provides mild pain relief
- Boosts circulation
- Helps “purify” the blood
2. The Winter Prune
Aside from harvesting, you’ll want to give your plant a good cleanup before winter sets in. This “winter prune” is a bit more radical. Sometime in the fall (usually between mid-September and late October), you should cut back those long, wilted flower stalks as close to the ground as possible.
While you’re at it, clear away the old, dead foliage. However, I usually recommend leaving a thin layer of leaves at the base of the plant. This acts as a natural mulch to protect the crown from frost during the coldest months. Once spring rolls around, you can finish the job with a quick “spring cleaning” snip.
Expert Tip: Try to finish your spring cleanup before the plant starts putting out its new green shoots!
3. Pruning to Extend the Bloom
Want to enjoy those chartreuse flowers a little longer? Pruning is the secret to extending the blooming season. Normally, Lady’s Mantle only flowers for a few weeks starting in June. But, if you cut back all the faded and old flower stalks right after that first flush, the plant will often reward you with a second round of blooms!
You’ll usually see this second act start in August and last through September. An added bonus of this mid-summer trim? It prevents the plant from dropping seeds everywhere (it can be quite the self-seeder!) and saves the plant from wasting energy on seed production. The result is a much healthier-looking plant with lush, vibrant foliage all season long.
