Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'
Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade' · Asteraceae
Low, spreading stems of felted, white-silver leaves, lobed like those of a chrysanthemum. It looks like the tender dusty miller, but is hardy to zone 3.
- Size
- 8 in tall, 24 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid July to early August
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'
The planner designed this bed around beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' × 6, silver leaves
- 2 Sea thrift × 8, pink
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 5 Sea kale × 1, white
- 6 Sunset hyssop × 3, orange
- 7 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 8 Hyacinth 'Delft Blue' × 7, blue
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- A classic partner for sea thrift. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 8 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 78% of the edge.
- 6 plants in 2 runs (3 and 3). Short runs, with other plants between, make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
- Beside sea thrift. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 14 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, purple and blue) and uses yellow and orange for warmth, with tan and white to calm things between them. The flowering is at its height from late May, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' goes in a border
At 8 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
The whitest hardy foliage for the front edge, and tolerant of salt and sand. Shear it in midsummer if it opens in the middle, and cut off the dull flowers.
- Silver edging in full sun
- Seaside and sandy gardens
- Trailing over walls and from containers
What to plant with beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': adds the flowers, mid August to mid October; bold leaves against its medium ones; tall enough (24 in) to stand behind it.
- Sea thrift: adds the flowers, early May to mid June; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'
Does beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' need sun or shade?
Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 24 in (60 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 in (20 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' plants do I need?
At 18 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 5 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 7 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 17 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as threes and fives, along the front and just behind it.
In the bed above, the planner used six in two groups.
Is beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pets if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'?
These come closest to doing what beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Lamb's ear 'Silver Carpet': the same job in a bed and the same size.
- Plantain-leaved pussytoes: the same job in a bed; 6 in narrower.
- Sedum 'Angelina': the same job in a bed and the same size; fine leaves, not medium, keeps its leaves in winter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade'?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' look like in winter?
Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' holds some of its leaves into winter, more in a mild year or a sheltered spot, and they look tired by March. Cut the old ones off as new growth starts.
Is beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' good for bees and butterflies?
Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' is visited by bees and butterflies.
It is native to the United States (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Artemisia
- Silver mound artemisia Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana'
- Southernwood Artemisia abrotanum
- White mugwort Artemisia lactiflora
- White sage 'Silver King' Artemisia ludoviciana 'Silver King'
- White sage 'Valerie Finnis' Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis'
- Wormwood 'Powis Castle' Artemisia 'Powis Castle'
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Deer-resistant perennials for full sun
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native perennials for pollinators
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Low plants for the front of a border
- Groundcover plants
- Silver and grey-leaved plants
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 8 in (20 cm) tall, 24 in (60 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid July to early August; airy sprays; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, semi-evergreen; silver
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- China; Japan; Korea; Russian Far East; Aleutian Islands in US
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, drought, heat, salt, poor soil
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.