Pussytoes
Antennaria dioica · Asteraceae
A flat, silver-grey mat of tiny woolly leaves with fuzzy pink or white flower tufts, like a kitten's paw, in late spring.
- Size
- 4 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers mid May to mid June
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Carpet
A bed built around pussytoes
The planner designed this bed around pussytoes 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 pussytoes stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Pussytoes × 8, silver leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' × 24, pink
- 3 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 5, tan
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 5 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 6 Calamint 'Montrose White' × 3, white
- 7 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
- 8 Star of Persia × 2, purple
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 4 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 53% of the edge.
- 8 plants in 2 runs (5 and 3). Runs of different lengths make the edge a frame, not a ruled line.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, into winter. They cover the 18 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. Cheddar pinks 'Tiny Rubies' is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. The most in flower at one time is 4 kinds, from early June.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. 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 pussytoes goes in a border
At 4 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is ground-hugging (up to 6 in).
Its job: carpet. A groundcover planted in threes and fives to cover the soil: along the front, and just behind it.
One of the lowest and toughest silver carpets, for the hottest, driest edge of a bed. It needs no feeding or watering and dislikes both.
- Between stepping stones
- Dry, poor soil where grass fails
- Rock gardens
What to plant with pussytoes
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Creeping thyme: adds the flowers, early June to mid July; happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Dragon's Blood': adds the flowers, late June to early August; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: tall enough (10 in) to stand behind it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about pussytoes
Does pussytoes need sun or shade?
Pussytoes 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 pussytoes grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should pussytoes be planted?
12 in (30 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 18 in (45 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 in (10 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many pussytoes plants do I need?
At 12 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 12 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 11 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 38 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 eight in two groups.
Is pussytoes poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat pussytoes?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does pussytoes look like in winter?
Pussytoes 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.
More Antennaria
- Plantain-leaved pussytoes Antennaria plantaginifolia
In these guides
- Drought-tolerant perennials for full sun
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial (groundcover)
- Size
- 4 in (10 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 12 in (30 cm) apart
- Height class
- Ground-hugging (up to 6 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid May to mid June; dense clusters; pink, white
- Leaves
- Fine texture, semi-evergreen; silver
- Shape
- Mat-forming, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Northern and Central Europe, Siberia to Western Asia
- Stands up to
- Drought, poor soil
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.