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Smooth Hedgenettle

Stachys tenuifolia

Last reviewed: September 2026

Smooth Hedgenettle is a moisture-loving forb that blooms from June through September, producing small pink flowers that attract bees and butterflies. It suits part sun sites with consistently moist, medium-water soil.

Smooth Hedgenettle (Stachys tenuifolia)
Photo: Hardyplants at en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Toxicity unknown

Smooth Hedgenettle (Stachys tenuifolia) is not listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in new tab) or the other sources we check, so we have no verdict for it either way. Absence from those lists is not a clearance. If your pet shows symptoms after eating any plant, call the ASPCA at (888) 426-4435.

The USDA PLANTS Database (opens in new tab) does not flag Smooth Hedgenettle as toxic to livestock.

Light

part sun

Water

medium

Size

12"–36" H × 8"–24" W

Bloom

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Native to

AL, CT, IA, IL and 24 more states

Pollinators

bees, butterflies

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Browse plants for this ecoregion

East Central Texas PlainsSouth Central PlainsEastern Temperate ForestsOzark HighlandsCentral Irregular PlainsPiedmontWestern Corn Belt PlainsNorthern Lakes and ForestsNorth Central Hardwood ForestsDriftless AreaSoutheastern Wisconsin Till PlainsCentral Corn Belt PlainsEastern Corn Belt PlainsSouthern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift PlainsNortheastern HighlandsNortheastern Coastal ZoneNorthern Allegheny PlateauErie Drift PlainMiddle Atlantic Coastal PlainNorthern PiedmontSoutheastern PlainsRidge and ValleyCentral AppalachiansWestern Allegheny PlateauInterior PlateauInterior River Valleys and HillsMississippi Alluvial PlainMississippi Valley Loess PlainsEastern Great Lakes LowlandsAtlantic Coastal Pine Barrens

Smooth hedgenettle is a native perennial wildflower with upright stems and spikes of small white or pale pink flowers. It blooms from summer through early fall and forms modest clumps that spread gradually over time.

Growing Smooth Hedgenettle

Grow Smooth Hedgenettle in part sun and medium water. Mature plants reach 12 to 36 inches tall and spread 8 to 24 inches wide. Expect low maintenance to keep it looking intentional in a front yard.

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How to care for Smooth Hedgenettle, by region

How to care for Smooth Hedgenettle where it is actually grown: year-round basics plus what to do each season, region by region, with the sources for each.

Care guidance last updated: October 2026

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Piedmont (includes Atlanta, GA)

Year-round

Smooth hedgenettle likes steady moisture and spreads into a colony, so give it a damp spot with room.

  • Give it part sun to part shade. Sources list it as adaptable from full sun to deep shade, with a preference for partial sun.
  • Keep the soil evenly moist to occasionally wet. If it dries out, the leaves yellow or brown and the plant can die.
  • Mix in compost at planting so the soil holds moisture. It grows in clay, loam, or sand.
  • It spreads by rhizomes and tubers and can form a colony, so plant it where spreading is fine.
  • It reaches about 3 feet tall.

Fall

Fall is a good time to ease off, divide if crowded, and keep soil from drying out.

  • Keep watering if fall turns dry, since the plant dislikes drying out.
  • Divide crowded clumps. Division is a listed propagation method.
  • Let seed form if you want more plants, because it also spreads by seed.

Winter

Winter needs little. Keep the spot from fully drying and leave the roots alone.

  • It is a herbaceous perennial, so stems die back and roots and tubers carry it through.
  • Water only if a long dry stretch hits, since it prefers consistently moist soil.
  • Leave tubers and rhizomes undisturbed until spring.

Spring

Spring is when the colony wakes up, so set up its moisture and spacing now.

  • Plant or divide in spring. Division is a listed way to propagate it.
  • Mulch and compost around new plants so the soil stays damp.
  • Water if rain is light. The Wildflower Center lists it as a wet-soil plant.
  • Pull or divide any shoots that wander past the space you want it to fill.

Summer

Summer heat in Atlanta is the main risk, because dry soil is what hurts this plant most.

  • Check the soil often in hot, dry spells. Drying out turns leaves yellow or brown.
  • Water deeply instead of a quick sprinkle so the whole root zone stays damp.
  • Bloom runs from summer into fall per NC State. Bees with long tongues visit the flowers.
  • Afternoon shade helps keep moisture steady since it tolerates shade.

Sources: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Stachys tenuifolia, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Stachys tenuifolia

In an HOA neighborhood

Smooth Hedgenettle takes more care to keep looking intentional in a front yard. Maintenance level: low. Consider it for backyard or mid-zone beds rather than the street edge.

Works well in: backyard only.

  • Looks too wild and weedy for formal landscapes
  • Name includes 'nettle' which may concern neighbors
  • Spreads gradually and can appear unkempt

Wildlife value

The flowers attract various bees and butterflies throughout the long blooming season. The plant provides nectar from June through September, making it valuable for pollinators during the peak summer months.

Common questions

When does Smooth Hedgenettle bloom?
Smooth Hedgenettle typically flowers from June through September, with pink blooms appearing along upright spikes through the summer months.
How much light and water does this plant need?
It grows best in part sun with medium, evenly moist soil. It can tolerate brighter conditions if soil moisture stays consistent, and it handles somewhat shadier spots as well.
What pollinators visit Smooth Hedgenettle?
Bees and butterflies regularly visit the flowers of Smooth Hedgenettle for nectar during its summer bloom period.
What type of plant is Smooth Hedgenettle?
It is a herbaceous forb that dies back to the ground each year, regrowing from its roots the following season.
Where does Smooth Hedgenettle grow well in a garden or landscape?
It does well in moist meadows, low woodland edges, and areas near streams or ditches where soil stays damp through the growing season.
Is Smooth Hedgenettle toxic to livestock?
The USDA PLANTS Database does not flag Smooth Hedgenettle as toxic to livestock.
Is Smooth Hedgenettle HOA-friendly?
Smooth Hedgenettle takes more care to look intentional in a front yard. Consider it for backyard or mid-zone beds rather than the street edge.

These answers were drafted with an AI model from this plant's data. Verify care details with a local expert.

Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.

If something looks wrong

Common plant problems, and what to check first

These come up on almost any plant. Each guide lists the likely causes in the order they are worth ruling out, with one thing to check before you act on any of them, and links to the source it came from.

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