Southernwood
Artemisia abrotanum · Asteraceae
A woody, upright bush of thread-fine, grey-green leaves with a sharp, sweet scent of lemon and camphor. Once hung in wardrobes to keep away moths.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 2½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves; flowers early August to early September
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around southernwood
The planner designed this bed around southernwood 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 southernwood stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 2 Common thyme × 10, lavender
- 3 Leadwort × 11, blue
- 4 Stiff goldenrod × 3, yellow
- 5 Blue oat grass × 1, tan
- 6 Hyssop × 3, pink
- 7 Star of Persia × 3, purple
- 8 Lady tulip × 12, red
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3½ ft it is among the tallest plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to blue oat grass (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 16 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The back corners are held by stiff goldenrod and southernwood, the tallest plants on the plan. Common thyme and leadwort finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 4 Good, 2 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 southernwood goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs in the middle of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A plant to brush past: put it beside a path or gate. Cut it back hard each spring, to within a hand's width of the old wood, or it grows leggy and bare.
- Scented foliage beside paths
- Herb gardens
- A soft, low hedge
What to plant with southernwood
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': adds the flowers, late June to late July; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Culinary sage: adds the flowers, early June to early July; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': adds the flowers, mid May to mid September; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
Questions about southernwood
Does southernwood need sun or shade?
Southernwood 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 southernwood grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °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 southernwood be planted?
24 in (60 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 2½ ft (75 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (100 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many southernwood plants do I need?
At 24 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 3 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 6 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 10 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is southernwood poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. Can cause stomach upset in people and pets if eaten in quantity.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like southernwood?
These come closest to doing what southernwood does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Russian sage 'Little Spire': the same job in a bed; 10 in shorter, flowers mid July to mid September.
- Ironweed 'Iron Butterfly': the same job in a bed; 8 in shorter, flowers late August to early October.
- Prairie coreopsis: the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, 6 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat southernwood?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does southernwood look like in winter?
Southernwood 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'
- Silver mound artemisia Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana'
- 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
- 3½ ft (100 cm) tall, 2½ ft (75 cm) wide
- Plant
- 24 in (60 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Middle
- Flowers
- Early August to early September; airy sprays; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; grey-green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Comes from
- Baltic States, France, Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought
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.