I most definitely did not plant these. Near there, I plannted ornamental allium, and scattered lots of different seeds, both annual and perennial. Poppies, Shasta daisies, and flowers I can't recall right now, but are associated with cottage gardens. I did Google, and came up with lamb's ear. Did not buy Rose Campion seeds. Yes, I have touched them, and they feel lovely. They're very soft and velvety, and thin rather than thick. I guess, after further thought, I'll leave them and see what they become. But I don't see any evidence of flowering so far.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. A little more info. Each clump is currently about five inches in diameter. The edges of the leaves are completely smooth (no toothed margins - that's just leaf hair that the rain has bunched together in places), and are hairy on both sides. The leaves in the center of the clump now seem to be becoming more erect, but are still soft and almost completely lacking any rigidity. As to this plant's status as a native, I have my doubts because of the leaf hairs. The only reason I can think of for a plant to have these hairs is to protect the leaf from excess moisture loss due to high heat, low humidity and wind. The area I live in is typically quite humid and receives abundant rain year-round, so (assuming I am correct in my assumptions about the evolutionary origins of this adaptation) there is no reason for plants native to this region to have hairy leaves.

As previously mentioned, the cultivar 'Helen Von Stein' (also known as 'Big Ears') rarely flowers and has no issues with humidity. I planted a small start in a tiny garden (around 4' by 6') back in 2001. Since then, it has flowered once, never been divided, has increased but not excessively (my dianthus has spread much more agressively) and has never needed or received any special care. I am finally going to dig some up this fall to cut it back a bit. I find it especially lovely with blue-purple flowered plants. Here it is in May 2005: And here is the same garden in May 2011. You can see that the plant has grown, but not to any crazy extent. Here is a close up of the plant from 2011: The garden contains amended clay. Bottom line is, as with many plants, many factors go into whether it's going to be well behaved or not.

I think lamb's ear is a great plant - the silvery leaves really makes deep- or rich-colored flowers stand out, particularly deep purples (heliotrope next to lamb's ear is smashing!). I have "Helen von Stein" aka Big Ears - she does not flower (well, I take that back - I got one, at the most two, flowers in the past 13 years I've had her at this house), and the leaves are large. Super easy to grow in hot, dry, full sun locations. It does spread but I wouldn't consider it aggressive, and, like someone above mentioned, easy to control - just give a yank or cut off the runners with a spade/shovel.