is lamium a good ground cover?

Although rich, moist, acidic soils are ideal, this plant will also grow in alkaline, sandy and clay soils. Evergreen ground covers, such as creeping juniper, require little care. When planted in groups, heuchera works well as a ground cover or along garden edging. Grow spotted dead nettles in full to partial shade. Use it as an underplanting for tall trees, as a ground cover in places where the hose cant reach, and even as a no-mow lawn alternative where there isnt much foot traffic. Copyright 2023 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Take leaves off at least half of the bottom portion of the branch. The silvery foliage of theseshade plantsmakes them a good fit for landscape designs with creative color schemes. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. Lamium, or dead nettle, is a perennial ground cover, often with variegation. This ground cover is a late riser, making it ideal for covering up the spent foliage of spring flowering bulbs. Lamium is a versatile plant, hardy in U.S.D.A. It likes full sun, and requires regular trimmings to keep it from taking over the yard. This fact sheet primarily discusses non-native ground covers and rock garden plants for mountain areas above 7,500 feet as well as highlighting some native plants not covered in fact sheet 7.242, Native Herbaceous Perennials for Colorado Landscapes. Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to besemi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. If you are looking for something unusual, consider wall germander, a broadleaf woody-stemmed evergreen that is often massed or used as a low hedge along retaining walls or in knot gardens. Fun bonus: The flowers, either fresh or dried, can be used in salads or steeped in teas. Avoid planting Chinese lantern in garden beds and near turf grass. Though Chinese lantern is also considered invasive, it is a novel and colorful perennial ground cover with autumn interest because of its bright orange-red shaped seed pods that turn into papery husks. Rock cotoneaster is considered a full-shun shrub but benefits from some afternoon shade. This is not the form of thyme used in cooking, but its fragrance will attract bees and other pollinators. Spotted dead nettles are generally grown more for their silvery leaves than for their flowers, but the latter can be quite pretty, as well. They save their energy for the surprisingly large flowers, white on desert zinnia and yellow on prairie zinnia. With society garlic, you can have your ground cover and eat it too! By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. This plant works as a ground cover, a border plant or even a houseplant in a hanging basket. It is a mat-forming perennial ground cover that typically grows 5-8" tall but spreads indefinitely over time by sprawling stems which root in the ground as they go. Despite its vigorous growth, it's not considered invasive. Key Dead-nettle facts Name - Lamium maculatum Family - Lamiaceae Type - perennial Height - 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) Exposure - full sun to shade Soil - rich and well drained Foliage - deciduous In milder climates, it is semi-evergreen. LAY-mee-um mak-yoo-LAH-tum Description Fast growing; Spotted dead nettle is a good ground cover for moist, shady areas. It has a stripe down the middle that can be white, yellow, red, or silver. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You have entered an incorrect email address! It prefers full shade, but can handle some morning sun. There are so many options to choose from, including old favorites like Pachysandra and Vinca, as well as small shrubs, perennials, and annuals. Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. Flowering Plants for Bare Garden Spots - Ground Cover Dogwood. On top of all that, with proper care the plant can last 5 to 6 years, during which time you can harvest your own fresh thyme. Spotted dead nettles tolerate evenshady areas that have dry soil. Creeping Phlox. However, creeping ground coverings tend to spread the fastest. It makes a dense mat of three-lobed leaves on lengthy, cane-like stems, which provide an interesting ground . Lamium maculatum (white nettle, pink pewter, and spotted nettle) Lamium galeobdolon . Its fascinating to watch in the spring as its semi-evergreen foliage emerges bronze, then brightens to fresh green and covers up the previous years growth. In the right climate, brass buttons remain an evergreen ground cover year round. All our groundcovers are grown in biodegradable . Compost should be sufficient, as the plants do not require rich soil. Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. With very attractive foliage and either white or pink flowers, Lamium maculatum makes an excellent ground cover plant for a shaded position. Sweet woodruff foliage can be dried and used in wreaths, potpourri, and other craft creations. It's low-maintenance because this drought-tolerant perennial grows beautifully in a xeriscape or rock garden. Even in Zone 5, where one lives, they persist well into the winter. Kathy Huber has worked for the Houston Chronicle since May 1981. While many shrubs give you flowers, the prettiest thing aboutCotoneaster horizontalis is its colorful, red berries. Lamium is rarely troubled by disease and is generally pest-free. Also known as periwinkle and creeping myrtle, vinca minor will spread wherever its planted and will even scale trellises or fences if trained. They thrive in or out of sunlight, and they seem to multiply on their own thanks to their rhizomatous roots. Lamium is undemanding and easy to grow in partial to fully shaded locations. Liverleaf's spring floral display makes this small perennial special. North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. It is a woodland plant that requires good drainage and shade. 20 Ground Cover Plants to Fill out Your Garden, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Spotted Dead Nettle is an excellent ground cover plant because of its flowers and its spreading growth habit. Doesn't need much water. There may be restrictions on planting it in these areas. It is also ideal for rock gardens, border edges, and even containers besides being an excellent choice for an ornamental ground cover. The following could be some of the best choices, depending on your own unique landscaping needs: Their stems root where they touch the soil, allowing the plants to spread. In shade, its OK if the soil dries out now and then. It is much less noticeable at other times of the year, but that doesn't detract from its role as a spring superstar. For companion plants, select other shade-lovers. As it spreads, new clumps will form. The petite white star-shaped flowers provide a nice contrast to the deciduous green foliage. You could first try it in a small area container to see how it does in your garden. Lamium maculatum stays relatively short, with the typical cultivar standing less than a foot tall. Its brittle, fragile stems help keep it from becoming aggressively invasive and also allow bulbs and other perennials to penetrate its foliage. This type of evergreen comes in an array of shapes and sizes. Lamium will grow under tree canopies and fill in around taller perennials, tolerating some dryness from the roots of other plants, but it grows better with irrigation. Poke holes in the fabric and plant the junipers, then cover the fabric with mulch. Soft, aromatic creeping thyme seems to check off all the boxes for a gardener, plus more. Also known as lonicera, honeysuckle is an aromatic perennial that blooms with white, yellow, or red flowers in the spring and summer. Miniature hostas will grow less than 9 inches tall, small hostas grow to a foot or more, and giant hostas can grow over 30 inches tall. Growing Conditions: Full to part shade in moist, well-drained soil This is a highly invasive plant but it's also popular for growing on huge swaths of areas that need ground cover and won't encroach on another's property. . 5. (Lamium maculatum) . Q. White flowers pop up in spring. Add compost if you have clayey soil to improve drainage. Those fleshy, bluish-green leaves help retain what little water it receives. With moist shade and deep, acidic woodland soil of good tilth, it will form a tight ground cover. This item: Perennial Farm Marketplace Lamium m. 'Beacon Silver' (Dead Nettle) Groundcover, Size-#1 Container, Metallic Leaves and Pink Flowers $1495 Mixed Heart-Shaped Hosta Bare Roots - Rich Green Foliage, Low Maintenance, Heart Shaped Leaves - 6 Roots $1699 ($2.83/Count) Total price: $31.94 Add both to Cart It flowers best in full sun. 4. If you've seen the lavender fields in Provence, you know this sweetly-scented perennial with purple or blue flowers looks amazing planted en masse. Lamium is one of the choices for ground-cover especially if you are looking for ground-cover that is tough yet showy. The only issue to watch for is rotting leaves. It prefers shade, but will tolerate some sun. book to class, Report: Houston ranked No. Nepeta x faassenii is one such species that makes for a good ground cover, since it is one of the best ground coverings to stop weeds. #9. 1. Just like the name implies, the fuzzy silver leaves resemble lamb's ears. . Hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 8, it will be deciduous in all but the mildest climates. RELATED: The 15 Best Plants for Rookie Gardeners. Its a good idea to add some mulch around the plant to help suppress weeds. Lamium plants are a perfect deer resistant groundcover to brighten a partly sunny to semi-shady spot. Aside from good exposure to sunlight, these leafy green clusters ask little of their gardener with no need to replant every season. Just like other plants with the word "creeping" in the name, liriope can be considered aggressive and invasive in parts of the United States, from Virginia through to Mississippi. Much like the fictional character, it has golden hair (flowers) that spread enough to be effective in covering a certain amount of space, but the plant is not so vigorous a spreader to create a nuisance. Our native white wood aster (Aster divaricatus), which grows in USDA Zones 3 through 8, spreads underground and by seed to form dense colonies even in dry shade conditions. Ground Cover Dogwood. While it prefers full sun, it needs regular moisture, especially during hot months. Noteworthy Characteristics Attractive foliage makes a good groundcover. This easy-care, mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. Otherwise, no pruning is needed, and if you're using it only for ground covering, watch that it does not grab hold of a tree bark or the siding of your house because its roots will dig in, making it hard to remove without damaging the surface. If the hill is big, remove the grass in stages so as not to take unnecessary chances with erosion. Fix your gardens trouble spots with these low-growing perennials, annuals, and shrubs. Because the common name is often given as spotted dead nettle. An evergreen perennial native to North America, heuchera is known for its vibrant foliage, which ranges in color from silver to green to brown. Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. It spreads by seed, but not aggressively, making its way around the garden in light shade to full shade conditions in USDA Zones 3 through 8. Native to Africa, purple ice plant (Delosperma cooperi) became popular as a cold-hardy ground cover in the United States in the 1990s. Growing only about 3 inches tall, this plant spreads over time, crowding out weeds and thus reducing maintenance further. Some leaves may revert back to an all-green color (instead of being variegated); be sure to prune these out, so that the green color does not eventually take over the plant. Sometimes called Pinks because the petals look like they've been trimmed with pinking shears, this pretty ground cover comes in a range of heights, anywhere from low-growing to 2 feet tall. Hedera helix. The attractive foliage has a silvery cast and shows well . Use it to highlight other plants with darker foliage, such as boxwoods and conifers. Manure tea is a good substitute when it is too difficult to work more compost into the soil. This is a slow-growing and long-lasting ground cover that simply needs pruning every so often to prevent it from growing leggy. Lamium Excellent Ground Cover for Shade. It should be pinched back frequently to keep the plants bushy and "shrubby.". She was Features Copy Desk chief before becoming the first full-time garden editor for the paper in 1988. The little silver leaves of lamium are like bits of glitter strewn about the garden floor, reflecting any dappled sunlight that finds them. Liverleaf (Anemone americana, formerly classified as Hepatica americana) is a perennial wildflower native to North America. Providing extra spacing between plants can lessen leaf-spotting, but this somewhat defeats the purpose of growing spotted dead nettles, as one of their best features is that they spread and fill in an area, thereby crowding out weeds. Lamium covers well and adds colorful flowers, foliage and texture. If it grows outside its pounds, trim it off or transplant a branch. While this perennial spreads rapidly, you can mow it to regain control. 16 inches apart for coverage in two seasons. Clusters of rose-pink flowers appear in spring, then continue off and on until fall, appearing more reliably through summer than other varieties. Spotted deadnettle ground cover grows about 6 to 12 inches (15-31 cm.) Water the seedlings and apply a mulch layer on top of the soil. 25 Low-Maintenance Ground Cover Plants for Sun and Shade, 10 Best Plants for Erosion Control in Your Yard, How to Grow and Care for Canadian Hemlock Trees, How to Grow and Care for Emerald Gaiety Wintercreeper, 35 Common Weeds in Lawns and Gardens: Identification & Control, How to Grow and Care for Dusty Miller (Silver Dust), Forget-Me-Not: Plant Care, Growing Tips, and Symbolism, 30 Best Plants With Purple Flowers to Grow Outdoors, Purple Dragon: Purplish flowers and silver foliage, White Nancy: White flowers, silvery leaves, Beedham's White: White flowers, leaves chartreuse and white, Cannon's Gold: Pink flowers, chartreuse foliage, Orchid Frost: Pink-purple flowers; leaves silver in the center andgreen at the edge; known for its disease-resistance, Anne Greenway: Mauve flowers; green,chartreuse, and silver leaves, Aureum: Pink flowers; leaves golden on the edge, white in the center, Ghost: Light-purple flowers; leaves almost wholly silver; taller (up to 14 inches) than the typical. Using several ground covers can add variety to the landscape and prevent soil erosion. When grown as a ground cover, it is an easy-care plant that requires little maintenance. Although strawberry begonia is winter hardy in USDA Zones 7 through 9, some people in Zone 6b have reportedly had luck with it overwintering, too. To plant creeping juniper on a grassy slope, get rid of the grass, then lay down landscape fabric along the slope. See more ideas about plants, shade plants, shade garden. Not picky, spotted Dead Nettles do just fine in average, well-drained soil. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. I have some really hardy portulaca that I think I'll try there too. In fact, beware of this potentially invasive ground cover, especially if you live near a forest. While it may be one of the toughest (er, tolerant) plants out there, Lily of the Valley looks as sweet as can be with darling white bells dangling from strappy green leaves. The versatile strawberry begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera) is neither a strawberry nor a begonia. Ground cover plants are all-around problem-solvers: They retain moisture, control erosion, and provide.css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;} habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies. It's also toxic to humans and pets. Our wide range of perennial groundcovers are ideal for those spots in the garden where grass isn't wantedon banks, under trees or across large areas of the border. All rights reserved. Its not often that a plant is classified as an evergreen ground cover, a trailing plant for containers and a houseplant. Select a branch and cut it off the plant. They may be plain green, but they are usually spotted or banded in silver-gray. Planted in groupings, it makes a lovely ground cover. It's tough-as-nails once established, tolerating poor soil and drought conditions. Lamium maculatum: Also called spotted deadnettle, forms a dense mat over. Dont worry if it doesnt reappear first thing in spring. In regions with cold winters, Lamium is deciduous. Many plant species from the genus Sedum are native to North America. Plant them with an assortment of other flowering plants in a container garden to have sitting on your porch and lanai, or they trail beautifully from a hanging basket. Like sedges, many different types of asters that will grow in partial shade to full shade. Creeping phlox is the quintessential ground cover plant. This easy-care mat-forming ground cover provides pops of purple blooms from mid-spring to early summer. The ground has only recently thawed and most are waiting for just the right amount of consistent warmth and moisture before coming up. The creeping juniper is a sprawling, creeping needled evergreen shrub that grows to a maximum height of about 18 inches and with a spread that can go as much as 8 feet. This shrub also offers some fall-foliage value. Imagine sky blue flowers popping up in and around your shade garden in the springtime, swaying in the slightest breeze, rising above a carpet of Canadian wild ginger or lamium (see below). wide. The only maintenance you'll need to do is remove tattered leaves damaged from a bad winter. Oak sedge prefers partial shade to full shade in USDA Zones 3 through 8. Get daily tips & tricks to help make your best home, Spotted Dead Nettles vs. Stinging Nettles. If you're planting a shrub or perennial that you want to last from one year to the next, make sure it's suited according to your USDA Hardiness Zone (find yours here). Well to make a long stroy short the Lamium is gone and in its place we planted a very small ground cover called Tiny Thyme. Though Lenten rose is not a rose (it's part of the buttercup family), its little buds are early season bloomers when it flowers at ground level in the late winter. Theywill not require much waterwhen grown in full shade, a fact that (along with their resistance to deer pests) recommends them to homeowners seeking low-maintenance landscaping. If you set out a little nursery-grown pot of Lamium in spring. Creeping Raspberry is a part of the Rosaceae family. Divide this plant in the spring for additional and long-living ground cover that can last for a couple of decades. These deer-resistant plants are not bothered by rabbits either. It does spread under the right conditions, but it is fairly easy to pull it out and keep it from taking over areas where it does not belong. There are more native species of sedge than any other plant in North America, and many make fine ground covers for shade. Although not as attractive to cats as catnip (Nepeta cataria), catmint is a gardeners dream: an easy-to-grow, robust purple ground cover. Common or Western yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is native to North America and can be found throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Available at Etsy; $10.99 per 1-quart plant. Its dense mats are threatening native plants on forest floors. Press Esc to cancel. Hardy and deer resistant in USDA Zones 4 through 8, this colonizing fern prefers humus-rich, moist but well-drained soils. Her goal is to inspire and educate people about how to garden every day. Its off the menu for deer and rabbits, but a feast for pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. You can plant this drought-tolerant, low-maintenance ground cover at the edge of a rock garden or other space and more or less forget about it (except for occasional watering) during the summertime. These creeping ground cover plants will reward you with easy care and bright colors. Lamb's ear creates a soft and silvery dense ground covering mat in a sunny area of your property. It likes full sun, but can tolerate part shade. It forms a dense, 8- to 12 . Its a relative of mint, so its guaranteed to spread, and its hardy in the cold of Zone 3 but can take heat up to Zone 8. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Principal fired for reading 'I Need a New Butt!' Cut them to the height you prefer them to be and thin them out if they're getting too thick by cutting some of the branches throughout the plant back to the ground. In early spring, flowers that look like fairy wings appear on this perennial. This elegant fern looks as dainty as a pearl necklace, but is tough enough to survive winter growing in the Himalayan Mountains, where it is native. Plant it in full sun during the spring in cooler climates and in shadier areas during the fall in warmer regions. To encourage new growth in the springtime cut spotted dead nettles back after the first frost or in the late autumn, depending on where you live. `Katie' ruellia has a taller cousin commonly called Mexican petunia. The leaves are fairly small, about one inch in diameter. Yellow archangel has colorful leaves and flowers. If you do not want to open a nursery, and it is crowding other plants, shear in midsummer to promote more compact growth. This quickly spreading ground cover forms a tight, six- to 10-inch tall mass of shiny green foliage that blushes bright red and bronze beginning in early fall. In warm regions and/or insheltered areas of your yard, they may be evergreen. BUY IT ($18) Jill King/EyeEm/Getty Images. Early mornings and evenings and after periods of damp weather are the best times to hunt for these pests. Want to lure hummingbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife to your garden? White Nancy jparkers USDA Zones:3-9 Yarrow can grow in full sun in nearly any soil and can tolerate drought once established. Within two to three years of planting, it forms a lush carpet of velvety, green, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground. Mulching and weeding to prevent unwanted sprouts from stealing water from these low-maintenance succulents, and you can enjoy the cheery color of this low growing ground cover year-round, with a number of varieties to choose from. Spectacular as a ground cover in the shade garden, Lamium maculatum (Spotted Dead Nettle) is a perennial plant whose appearance is unlike other perennial ground covers. Angelina Sedum is easy to propagate by rooting, so you can quickly fill an area with its succulent foliage. It matures to a maximum height of only 6 inches, so many gardeners choose to plant creeping phlox on a slope or along the top of a retaining wall to appreciate its beauty from several angles. Once established, its drought tolerant. Spotted dead nettles are a great plant to put in containers or hanging baskets. Blooms late Spring to mid Summer. The small leaves are speckled with spots, which earns the plant its name. The 25 low-maintenance ground cover plants in this list are vigorous (some more than others) but manageable, so they will fill in empty spaces without growing out-of-control. Hostas are some of the happiest and hardiest perennial ground coverings you can grow. While some have small flowers, the main focal point is the colorful foliage, which ranges from chartreuse to bronze. She's been a frequent speaker at various garden events. Try it in part shade to full shade, with moist, well-drained soil. The best quickly-spreading ground cover for shade is Periwinkle 'Bowles' Variety.' Lamium A great solution for ground cover in a shaded area until it takes over in 5 years. Because the common name is often given as spotted dead nettle. Spotted deadnettle. Plant number: 1.305.190. Spread: Slow to medium growth rate; spreads via stolons to a height of 10 inches. Do spotted dead nettle attract butterflies? And while deer might not like itspink flowers, they do attract butterflies and honeybeesits even believed that it enhances the flavor of the honey. However, the more sunshine that you give these plants, the more water they will need, since they perform best in evenly moist soil. If you want this to be a fast-growing ground cover plant, make sure it receives 4-6 hours of sun each day. With a long bloom period and colorful foliage, most varieties are eye-catching plants throughout the year. If you have bare acreage behind your home that does not lead to another property, Chinese lantern can be a great ground cover and filler. There are more than 40 species of lamium, but the best are those that are flowering perennials like the Pink Chablis. They are tough and their easy-going adaptability to a wide variety of rocky slopes, clay, and alkaline soils keep them comfortable in the west. Good For: Plant Hardiness Zones 3-10 SHOP DEAD NETTLE SEEDS skymoon13 // Getty Images Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 10 Creeping Phlox Propagate by division in autumn or early spring After flowering, plants can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage cover. Ice plant is a perennial succulent ground cover with fleshy leaves and colorful flowers. Native to Europe and western Asia, Lamium is frequently found naturalized along woodland trails and paths and colonized along the banks of streams. A. Swallowtail butterflies, hummingbird moths and hummingbirds are all fans. Charismatic Planet 2022. Common pests for spotted dead nettles are slugs and snails, which seem to be the main pests for this plant, although aphids can also attach themselves to the stems and leaves. In ideal sunny conditions, Amethyst in Snow will spread quite quickly, but you can control it easily by pulling out stray shoots. Creeping thyme. This groundcover plant stays under a foot tall but slowly spreads outward. If you prefer a similar but less aggressive variety, consider C. montana 'Amethyst Dream'. Lamium is grown for both its pretty foliage and beautiful flowers. This low-maintenance plant thrives year-round! Scott Little. It even takes on the terribly invasive Garlic Mustard. In its native environment, it spreads slowly to cover the forest floor, where deer and rabbits typically leave it alone. Blooms are cream colored. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive. Spotted dead nettles should be pruned in the summer after the first blooming period. Copyright 2013-2023. Plant it with an assortment of flowering plants, including paperwhites, cyclamen, and coral bells. RELATED: Bad Neighbors: 11 Plant Pairs Never to Grow Side by Side. It's cold hardy and prefers part shade. Groundcover plants are helpful for weed suppression, while also adding texture and color to your garden with low maintenance needs. Within two to three years of planting, it forms a lush carpet of velvety, green, heart-shaped leaves that hug the ground. Lamb's Ear. Try some honeysuckle! This fast-growing annual looks gorgeous tumbling over rock walls or along the edges of walkways. Spotted dead nettles propagate easily by themselves from runners, by dividing, or from cuttings. Overview: Spotted Dead Nettle - Lamium maculatum is a herbaceous perennial growing to 0.2 -0.9m at a fast . Ground-huggers in the 1- to 3-inch range that tolerate foot traffic can be used between stepping stones. Instead, it keeps its leathery dark green leaves in nearly the same condition year round. Though this is considered a flowering ground cover, it's tiny white flowers are quite insignificant. Interrupted fern, like bunchberry and liverleaf, is a North American native that can serve as a low-maintenance ground cover for shade. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon 'Hermann's Pride', Zones 4-8) is one of the fastest-growing ground covers. Equally at home hanging from a planter or covering a hillside, Lysimachia (more commonly known as creeping Jenny) is a plant admired for its trailing branches. manure tea is a good alternative. Getting Started But in regions where spotted dead nettle is not invasive, it acts as an effective ground cover for deeply shaded areas. `Katie' ruellia is a good ground cover for sun or shade. Check with your local county extension for any warnings that they may issue for your own region.

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