Lady’s Mantle (*Alchemilla mollis*) is a cottage garden classic. It is grown for its soft, scalloped, light green velvety leaves that famously catch water droplets, which glisten like pearls in morning light. In summer, it is topped with clouds of tiny chartreuse yellow-green flowers.
It is an outstanding groundcover plant, forming dense mounds that suppress weeds. It grows in virtually any soil, including heavy clay, and thrives in sun or shade. Cut it back hard after flowering to encourage a fresh flush of clean foliage and prevent self-seeding if you want to keep it contained.