Nettles are widely spread as a weed and will grow in almost any conditions, though they need to be kept moist and prefer dappled shade. In the wild, they usually do best in fertile soil.

Nettle seeds are dispersed by the wind, so can travel far and wide. If you allow them to flower, you are guaranteed to have nettles pop up all over the place - and your neighbours', and probably in the next town or state as well.

daisy - Thanks. I have a spot I think they'll like, where I can keep an eye on them. If I looked hard enough, I could probably find some growing nearby. I tried that last year, and thought I had some. But when I went to collect it, it didn't sting. So wrong weed. I don't want them to take over, so I'll be cutting them back regularly. I want to make sure I have a way to remove them in the future though, before I plant. Someone posted a while back that they would eventually give up if I kept mowing them.

I need some seeds of them. I had 2 pots growing but one died because it rained too much and the other one isn't doing well.

I winter sowed stinging nettle with great success. Give it a try.

FataMorgana