Silver Carpet is the lamb's ear that skips the flowers. It forms a low, dense mat of thick, felted silver leaves that beg to be touched, and because it rarely sends up bloom stalks it stays neat all season, holding its silver color right through winter.

Give it full sun and well-drained soil; sharp drainage matters more than fertility, and soggy winter soil is its one real enemy. Once established it handles drought, deer, and rabbits. Use it as an edging ribbon or a cool-toned contrast to dark green shrubs.