Silver mound artemisia
Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana' ·
A low, perfectly rounded cushion of silky, silver, thread-fine foliage. In heat and humidity it opens in the middle by midsummer.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 18 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Edging
A bed built around silver mound artemisia
The planner designed this bed around silver mound artemisia 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 silver mound artemisia stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Silver mound artemisia × 3, silver leaves
- 2 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 17, pink
- 3 Brown-eyed Susan × 3, yellow
- 4 Little bluestem 'The Blues' × 8, tan
- 5 Eastern prickly pear × 1, yellow
- 6 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 4, purple
- 7 Schubert's allium × 3, pink
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 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch'. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
Why here
- On the front edge. At 12 in it frames the bed without hiding it, and it is in leaf all season. It finishes 41% of the edge.
- 3 plants in one run. An unbroken run of one kind gives the edge a clean line.
- Beside Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch'. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 21 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Low plants run along 93% of the front edge: eastern prickly pear, silver mound artemisia and Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch'. The flowering is at its height from late May, with 3 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 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 silver mound artemisia goes in a border
At 12 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: edging. A low, neat plant used in short runs of three or five along the front to finish the edge (or, in a formal bed, in one even row).
At its best in the north, where the dome stays tight. Where it flops open, shear it by half in early summer. Lean soil keeps it compact.
- Silver edging in cool-summer regions
- Rock gardens
- A soft contrast to dark or bold leaves
What to plant with silver mound artemisia
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Sedum 'Dragon's Blood': adds the flowers, late June to early August; low enough (4 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch': adds the flowers, mid May to late June; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about silver mound artemisia
Does silver mound artemisia need sun or shade?
Silver mound artemisia 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.
What zones does silver mound artemisia grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 7. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 7 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 silver mound artemisia be planted?
18 in (45 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many silver mound artemisia 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 runs of three or five along the front (or one even row, in a formal bed).
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is silver mound artemisia poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten.
Is there a pet-safe plant like silver mound artemisia?
These come closest to doing what silver mound artemisia does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Threadleaf coreopsis 'Zagreb': the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers late June to late August.
- Bloody cranesbill: the same job in a bed and the same size; flowers late May to late July, wants average soil.
- Calamint 'Montrose White': the same job in a bed; 4 in taller, flowers late June to mid October.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What does silver mound artemisia look like in winter?
Silver mound artemisia dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Artemisia
- Beach wormwood 'Silver Brocade' Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 18 in (45 cm) wide
- Plant
- 18 in (45 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, herbaceous; silver
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 7
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. 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.