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Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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Posted by cziga Zone 5: (Toronto) (My Page) on Wed, Jul 1, 09 at 21:09
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I am looking for a primarily silvery grey foliage plant. It will be living in a sunny corner, so must be able to take full sun. I would prefer it to be shorter, but that’s not a huge problem. It cannot be a spreader – the area that is left in the corner is not too big and it bordered by roses and delphiniums so I cannot have something that will spread itself too far. I originally bought Artemisia "Silver Mound" as an impulse buy for the space, not knowing anything about it. Beautiful feathery silver foliage, and the height seemed perfect. Then, of course, get home and look it up on the internet only to find that it is a fairly aggressive spreader (termed a groundcover by most people) and there is almost no chance that it will stay in the smallish area. So the Artemisia will have to go elsewhere.
Does anyone have any suggestions for a silvery foliaged plant that stays fairly compact and takes full sun?
Also (and in addition), does anyone have experience with Artemisia "Silver Mound"? How large and spreading can I expect it to get in Zone 5? How deep are the roots and how difficult is it to pull out unwanted spreaders, and control the boundaries of the plant?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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- Posted by remy 6WNY (My Page) on
Wed, Jul 1, 09 at 21:24
Hi,
I'm not too far from you! I had Silver Mound a long time ago. It grew into a mound and did not spread. I liked it. It then died on me one year, not sure why. I think of it more as a plant that would get smothered by other plants and not the other way around. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine anyone form around here saying it is an aggressive spreader like some other artemisias can be.
Remy |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I had the same experience as Remy - I bought mine small, and it quickly grew into a really nice mound. I really liked it, had it in full sun. Then the next year it didn't come back and I was never sure why. I didn't consider it a spreader at all, though it did end up about 2 feet in diameter. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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I gave my answer to this question on the Perennial Forum. ;-)
CMK |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I have silver mound in two locations in my yard and it has NOT spread at all. I love it. I am zone 4. Rene |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| Sounds Silver Mound is fine. Catmint is a different leaf shape you might like - lots of sizes now. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I have some Silver Mound artemsia and it is a well behaved plant. But it will get floppy if in too rich a soil with plenty of moisture. I have had the other kind of spreading artemsia or wormwood which is a spreader but I liked it anyway. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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I've had two of these side-by-side for about 4 years now, and they are well behaved, fluffy little mounds. They are in well-drained, but not moist soil, and do well. Not invasive in the slightest.
Pic below you can see it/them on the left near the house. Now, Silver KING artemesia I had in another area, and I can't seem to get rid of it. I pull it every year, and it keeps coming back. This is the big, tall one. It is too unruly for me, and I didn't like it anyway. Not particularly fond of gray foliage plants, but can't seem to get rid of the S. Mound because it's too darned cute & fluffy.
I'm thinking that "invasive" is a YMMV thing depending where you live and in what conditions you have (a thing) growing. 
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RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| Yes, Silver Mound stays put. Silver King, not so much. Neither like a lot of moisture but Silver Mound will take more so works well in a garden bed with regular watering. If you get a lot of rain it will probably flop and look ratty for you eventually. I had several mounds for about a decade until I redid the bed they were in. We're dry here and mine would still get a little ratty looking by summer's end. A good trim would perk them right up again. Diana |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I agree with everyone here. I had it for some years and it did grow to a good size. However after one particularly bad winter, it died. I haven't replaced it since. On the other hand,it's artemesia silver king and silver queen that you'd have to watch out for. the other solution if you are still searching for alternatives is lamb's ears. it does grow large and it does spread but it's not invasive. I simply cut out the areas that have spread too much. There's the ordinary form of lamb's ears and then there's the large leaf kind which has a slow spread. another idea is to use sage - the large fuzzy leafed sage. It's different, once again short lived hardy plant. There are also dwarf forms of russian sages in case you are interested. And my last suggestion: Lavenders. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| You might look at Dusty Miller or Rose Campion (blooms hot pink, though) if you're still looking for an alternative or addition. :) Both annuals. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| Can you grow santolina (lavender cotton) in your area? There are green and silver varieties available and they form rather short mounds. They can take full sun. I have planted a small hedge of the silver grey ones mixed with pink begonias and I really like the effect. Dusty miller is another option, as suggested above. Eduarda |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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- Posted by cziga Zone 5: (Toronto) (My Page) on
Tue, Jul 7, 09 at 13:11
| Thank you for all the replies. I'm glad to hear that Silver Mound is a fairly well behaved plant. I guess when most people talk about unruly artemisia, they mean Silver King and the larger, other types of wormwood. I will keep Silver Mound, although in a different location where it can have a bit of space to mound :) I think I will try Dusty Miller, as an annual, in the original location. Dusty Miller -- is this a reseeding annual? Can I collect seeds from it? Or will I have to buy it again each year? Thanks a lot for everyone's opinions and advice so far :) |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I love Dusty Miller, mine overwintered and our temp went below zero a few nights. You can save seed or take cuttings. Annette |
Here is a link that might be useful: Dusty Miller
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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I really like the Gazanias I have. I do not remember the variety they are though. They are perennial, bloom always, and take the heat with extreme ease. Whether they live in your zone, I don't know. They are not invasive, are low to the ground, and they grow in mounds. The ones you see in the picture were divided from four larger ones just a couple months before the picture was taken.
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RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| I've had Dusty Miller overwinter even here in zone 3 with good snow cover but they always look ratty the second year so I buy them as bedding plants and grow them as annuals. When I lived in zone 5 they over-wintered fine. They look good in a massed planting. I have lamb's ears for hardy perennial silver plants - they self-seed but one can cut off the flowers. I leave them as the bees love them. We're trying to keep Russian olives alive but they are struggling - our soil is likely too heavy for them and they are large shrubs or trees so that's not what you want. I also have an Achillea "Moonshine" which has somewhat silvery foliage. Snow in Summer is attractive but may be invasive. E. wulfenii 'Silver Swan' has attractive foliage altho I don't like the flowers and I'd cut them off. There are also various sempervivums which are silvery. |
RE: Silver Foliage Plants and Artemisia Silver Mound opinions
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| my silver mound bit the dust after a cold winter. Have you thought about helen von stein lambs ear? It never dies, looks great all summer, and is the perfect silver accent. Jody |
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