Archive for the ‘Artemisia’ Category

Deer Resistant Perennials

Most deer-resistant plants share several traits or characteristics: 1. Aromatic flowers / foliage; 2. thorny, bristly, or hairy (pubescent) leaves or stems; 3. toxic plants. If “deer pressure” (population) is exceptionally high, deer don’t heed plant lists like this one. Available food resources, species of deer, seasonal weather are all factors. Flowers, foliage, fruits, and […]

12 Plants With Silver Foliage

Silver King Artemisia (Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver King’) is an aggressive form with bushy, upright patch of fragrant silvery foliage and loose sprays of grey flowers in midsummer. Prune back hard after flowering to rejuvenate foliage. Deer and drought resistant. (z 3-7). Silver Mound Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silver Mound’) – soft feathery leaves grow into compact, […]

Repel Deer And Rabbits

We live at a time that deer population numbers have grown out of control in many areas of the U.S. The internet lists plants that “DEER DON’T EAT”. However, deer have not read these lists, and secondly, a starving deer will eat just about anything. An adult deer may eat 5-6 pounds of plant material […]

Fall Trimming Of Perennials

You do not need to cut perennials back in the fall, but many gardeners do so as part of the garden cleanup. Don’t rush the job. Leaves of many perennial plants continue to produce and store carbohydrates in crowns and roots until they go fully dormant. Wait until after the first hard frost or until […]

Tidy Up These Perennials After Blooming Is Finished

Deadheading, the practice of removing the old spent flowers from perennials, is a way to improve a garden’s appearance and reduce overcrowding. Secondarily, many (not all) will rebloom after deadheading. Not all perennials respond to deadheading by reblooming. Most daylilies (Hemerocallis x.), coralbells (Heuchera spp.), and hostas (Hosta spp.) are prime examples of perennials that do not […]

Powis Castle Artemisia Is Exceptional

Most artemisias (aka “wormwood”) can not cope with the summer heat and humidity in the mid-South. Their silvery foliage tends to burn out (some say “melt out”) in mid to late summer. ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia is truly the exception. Powis Castle is likely a hybrid (Artemisia arborescens x A. absinthium Powis Castle is a bushy, woody-based perennial […]