Quicksilver Artemisia

I think Artemisia is one of the best supporting cast members for our gardens today on Southern Gardening.

Often called dusty Miller, Artemisia has soft fuzzy gray foliage that makes the leave look dusty silver. These plants do have small white flowers that are insignificant. I’ve recently found a new and I think very useful variety called Quicksilver. What I really like is that Quicksilver is only going to grow about 10 inches tall with a 24 inch spread. What a great choice for use as a ground cover or border location. I like growing in a container where the spreading shoots can start to sprawl over the container edge. The silvery color of the foliage seems to intensify and enhance the colors of other garden plants. I really like pairing Artemisia with anything purple, just something about silver and purple together that makes a winning landscape combo. Try combining the feathery silver foliage with purple leaved alternanthera, like the Mississippi Medallion winner Littler Ruby or the newer Purple Prince. All that Artemisia requires is full sun and a well-drained planting bed. These plants are perennial all across Mississippi and a light spring pruning to remove woody stems will ensure a tight growing plant during the summer season.

Go ahead and give Artemisia a try in your landscape, I’ll bet you’ll always have silver growing with the green from now on. Until next time, I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman enjoying our Southern Gardening.