Splitlip Hempnettle: An Unassuming Annual with European Roots
If you’ve ever noticed small pink or purple flowers clustered around square stems in disturbed areas of your garden, you might have encountered splitlip hempnettle (Galeopsis bifida). This modest annual herb has quietly made itself at home across much of North America, despite its European origins.
What Exactly is Splitlip Hempnettle?
Splitlip hempnettle is an annual forb – essentially a non-woody herbaceous plant that completes its entire life cycle in one growing season. As its common name suggests, the most distinctive feature of this plant is the characteristic split or notched lower lip of its small flowers, which gives it a unique appearance among similar plants in the mint family.
You might also encounter this plant listed under its synonym Galeopsis tetrahit var. bifida in some older gardening or botanical references.
Where You’ll Find It Growing
Originally from Europe, splitlip hempnettle has established itself as a non-native species throughout much of North America. You can find it growing wild across a impressive range of locations, from Alaska and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Yukon, and Newfoundland, down through numerous U.S. states including Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Should You Plant Splitlip Hempnettle in Your Garden?
Here’s where things get interesting – splitlip hempnettle isn’t typically something you’d intentionally plant. It’s more of a plant that finds you rather than the other way around! This species tends to show up on its own in disturbed soils, along roadsides, and in waste areas where it can establish without competition from more established vegetation.
The Case for Letting It Stay:
- Provides some nectar for small bees and insects
- Requires absolutely no care or maintenance
- Can help stabilize disturbed soil areas
- Interesting botanical specimen for plant enthusiasts
The Case for Removal:
- Not particularly ornamental compared to native alternatives
- Can self-seed prolifically in suitable conditions
- Takes up space that could support native plants
- Generally considered more of a weed than a garden plant
Growing Conditions and Care
If splitlip hempnettle does appear in your garden, it’s remarkably unfussy about its growing conditions. This hardy annual can adapt to USDA hardiness zones 3 through 8, thriving in poor soils and disturbed areas where many other plants struggle. It particularly favors locations with some soil disturbance and doesn’t require rich, amended soil to establish.
As an annual, it will complete its life cycle in one season, though it’s quite capable of self-seeding for the following year if conditions remain favorable.
Native Alternatives to Consider
If you’re looking to support local ecosystems and pollinators, consider these native alternatives that offer similar or superior benefits:
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) – excellent for pollinators
- Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea) – beautiful purple flowers
- New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) – late season blooms
- Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) – delicate, distinctive flowers
The Bottom Line
Splitlip hempnettle represents one of those plants that exists in the gray area between weed and wildflower. While it’s not aggressively invasive, it’s also not bringing much to the table that native plants couldn’t provide better. If you discover it growing in your garden, you can appreciate its modest charm and pollinator value, but you might also consider gradually replacing it with native species that will better support your local ecosystem.
Remember, the best gardens often include a mix of intentional plantings and happy accidents – and sometimes splitlip hempnettle falls into that latter category, quietly doing its thing in forgotten corners where little else will grow.
